This Is Your Captain Speaking
Spending time in airports and flying in planes are very strange experiences. Growing up in Asia, I have had the chance to travel to many airports across the world—my favourite being the airport in Singapore. Airports are a weird place where the usual rules don’t apply. If someone were to down a few loaded potato skins and a beer at 9 a.m., no one bats an eye. Airports are a place of often bittersweet, sometimes sad departures—to see a loved one go, to leave home, to say goodbye—and happy arrivals—a new unexplored location, a vacation, or a chance to see mom after many years.
In terms of flying, there’s something about getting ready to fly that can lead us to have more of a cathartic experience. According to some research, there’s a reason why you’re more likely to cry while watching a film or reading a book on a plane. What happens is that, with the change in cabin pressure, it can cause hypoxia, which is reduced oxygen levels in the brain. This can cause “cognitive and emotional effects, including negative moods and a diminished ability to handle stress (source: https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/why-do-i-always-cry-when-i-watch-films-on-a-plane).” As someone who is a crier, I can attest to this. I shamelessly cry.
The many times I’ve flown, I’ve often seen it as a bit of a reset. A reset in terms of dealing with jet lag. A reset in terms of taking a moment to step out of the ordinary and look at my life away from home. But after reflecting on this, I’ve realized that this is something we get to do every time we spend time with the Lord.
When we seek God, we take the moment to step back and look at ourselves beyond our perspective. Rather, we see ourselves from God’s perspective. That includes confronting our sins against God and our sins against others. It reminds us of our identity in Christ, rejecting what the world or our thoughts attempt to lure us towards. Seeing life from God’s perspective reveals how we ought to be living for the glory of God and not ourselves.
My encouragement to you is to not lose those moments. Fight the part of you that is eager for business. The temptation (and sometimes the idol) of “getting the day started.” Even a glimpse, two or three minutes, can reset our thinking. That’s the beauty of having the Spirit in us—that at any moment we can come before the throne of God. You don’t need a 412,300-pound metal bird to bring you to the presence of God. You simply need to draw near to Him.