A splash of sunlight drifts through the oval window and
slowly glides across my leg as the aircraft changes directions. I try not to
disturb the passenger next to me as I peer over through the glass at the other
airplanes awaiting departure, just like us. Finally the captain’s voice
crackles over the intercom, “Flight attendants, please prepare for take-off.” I
turn my music up to drown out the thrum of the engines as they rev in anticipation
of launching this 100,000+ pound, silver titan of a Boeing 737 into the
heavens.
It’s such an odd thing to consider—a machine of metal can somehow
defy gravity and all other forces that pull against it and can glide on
invisible drafts up to 30,000 feet above the ground, carrying tens of thousands
of pounds worth of weight. For this reason, the take-off part of a flight
terrifies me the most, and serves as a perfect metaphor for my present life
situation. I don’t deal very well with change and momentum shifts. As someone
who is naturally task-oriented, ambitious and driven, being out of a routine
and structured environment leaves me feeling aimless and purposeless. When I
don’t have an immediate to-do list in front of me, I start to feel like many
people probably feel when they’re meandering the Target aisles—in search of
something to divert them, but they don’t really know what it is, so they end up
wandering around for a longer time than originally anticipated. That’s kind of
how I feel—surrounded by a multitude of options for work and lifestyle, but I’m
unsure as to how it will all come together, so I meander, and I worry.
I’ve applied for a few different jobs, and can’t imagine how
they will connect or provide me with enough money off of which to live. Being a
barista, a paraprofessional, a taxi driver, a nanny and serving as a tutor?
Really? WHAT am I doing? I find myself in the midst of limbo land, not sure
which of these positions I will fill, not sure how I will support myself, not
sure what to do. Talk about a rocky start. At least I do know my purpose in
life is to help others and to find joy in God and in serving Him. However,
changing my life direction and how my purpose looks is stretching and growing
me beyond my comfort zone. How I choose to pursue God and His plans before and during a terrifying “take-off” period will define the rest of the
flight. Will I boost the engines with passion and choose to launch into the
unknown with faith that the drafts of courage and trust will uplift me and
carry me safely to the next destination, or will I balk at the unknown that
lies ahead of me: unfamiliar skies wrought with possible storms, clouds, and
turbulence?
“Flight attendants, please prepare for take-off.” The
engines spin faster and faster, their pulsing turbines indicating impending
departure. The Boeing 737 turns her nose down the runway and the airplane picks
up speed. I feel the familiar drop in the pit of my stomach as American
Airlines flight 1497 tips upward, catching the drafts and powering into the
skies above Dallas. This is the scariest part. This is the moment to have
faith. To trust that I’ll be okay. That I’ll find a way amidst my latest adventure.
That the world outside, which presently looks slanted and uneven, will
eventually right itself to a cruising altitude of normalcy and routine. I’m
also reminded as I glance again out the window that, though take-off is the
most unpredictable part of the flight to me, the views are incredible. The
perspective it offers of the world below and beyond takes my breath away. My
life may look different than it ever has before, but I’m still powered by the
same purpose, and I'm confident that it’ll take me home.
