Got to have a Plan!

Pilots have been taught from the early stages of flight school to have a plan to arrive safely at the destination, and to be ready when (not if but when) something goes wrong. Major plans are during takeoff, at cruise, and when landing. Simulators are outstanding planning resource where the pilot can hone his/her skills at reacting to mechanical failures. One of the nice options when I was flying fighters was the ejection seat. This feature always gave you an out as the flying was very irregular to say the least. The following photos clearly show the advantage of the ultimate option - a Canadian CF-18 pilot ejects at a recent airshow.


Ah, only if life itself was as easy as pulling up on the ejection handles and squeezing the triggers and have the parachute deploy allowing you to safely land back on earth. No life is more akin to the airliner in that you do not have an ejection seat and where you have to solve the problem in the air and then safely recover the airplane on the runway. Why, am I bringing this up? In the fighter jet it is just simply you, while in the airliner it encompasses much more: you, your crew, and your passengers. That is life - it is not just about you!

This flight experience has transferred to my life in general. The studying of history, philosophy, and theology have given me a learning perspective that I had lacked in my younger days. This perspective is now long-term as opposed to that of my youth with a devotion to the "now." The long-term has trained me not to panic but to persevere for I know there is a reward for working through the present hardship.

My plan is to continually ask these questions, of which sometimes I succeed and sometimes I fail:

How are my actions today going to affect those around me and the generations to follow? In other words are my actions honorable, ethical, praiseworthy - furthering good? If so continue developing, if not change it as I don't have much time.

What have I learned (good and bad) that I may pass on to those around me and the generations that follow? In other words have I the nobility of character that friends and family feel at home with and can they learn without being ridiculed? If so continue developing, if not change it as I don't have much time.

Where is my heart and mind? In other words are my thoughts and actions reflective of the standard or am I like so many - a hypocrite? If so continue developing, if not change it as I don't have much time.

Who do I serve - me or God? In other words are my actions reflective of a lifestyle that knows that earth is not the final destination? If so continue developing, if not change it as I don't have much time.

Why am I here? In other words do I believe in something/someone higher than me - Is Jesus Christ real and is the Bible real? (Many who attack the Bible have never read it from cover-to-cover they just grab a verse out of context or grab the Cliff Notes). If so continue developing, if not change it as I don't have much time.

My plan includes the study of the Bible itself, theology, philosophy, etc. so that I have the knowledge to successfully handle the next abnormal systems failure in the airliner of life. Additionally I will actively practice life and not sit back as a passenger and say "woe is me." The treasure of one's character must be invested in the future, by acting appropriately today. That is my plan, do you have a Plan?

"For our citizenship is in heaven..." (Phil. 3:20) and "... for they [the Pharisees] loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God" (John 12:43).

Food for Thought if You are Hungry
Eagle Driver
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