The Planes That Land Safely Never Make the News

This morning, I heard Pastor Jamal Bryant say, "Planes that land safely never make the news. It's only the planes that crash."

I had to listen to that several times because it struck a chord in me.

I thought about how life can sometimes be compared to a plane ride.

Just because a plane lands safely doesn't mean there was never any turbulence.

Landing safely doesn't mean there weren't moments when the plane had to fly through storms, thunder, and dark clouds.

Just because a plane lands safely doesn't mean it didn't spend time sitting on the tarmac, waiting.

Landing safely doesn't erase the moments when the ride was rough, the cabin shook, or fear filled the air.

It doesn't even mean there wasn't a moment when it looked like the plane might crash.

Landing safely is all about God's protection, provision, and grace.

But today, let's take a moment to honor all the planes that landed safely...yet never made the news.

Here's the news.

Many of us are flying on autopilot because moving forward is all we've ever known how to do.

Many of us are flying with low fuel, yet we're still using every ounce we have just to reach the destination.

Many of us don't even know exactly where the destination is or how we're going to get there, but something in our engine refuses to detour.

Many of us are loaded down with luggage that doesn't even belong to us. We keep carrying the weight of other people's expectations, pain, and responsibilities. We even allow passengers who don't appreciate the ride because we don't want anyone to be left behind.

Many of us are so weary and exhausted that we're flying below the altitude God intended for us.

Many of us are barely breathing because we gave our oxygen mask to someone else.

Many of us are descending faster than we should because life has become heavier than our wings were ever designed to carry.

And...

When we finally reach land, we often can't even enjoy the safety of solid ground because we're already preparing for the next flight.

So, when you see a plane landing safely, don't assume the journey has been smooth.

Don't assume there weren't storms.

Don't assume there wasn't fear.

Don't assume there weren't moments when the pilot had to trust instruments they couldn't even see.

The difference between the planes that land safely and the planes that crash isn't that one had an easier journey.

The difference is that the plane that lands safely has been flying under the shadow of the Almighty.

"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." — Psalm 91:1

Maybe you didn't make the news.

Maybe no one applauded your landing.

Maybe no one knows what you survived just to make it here.

But Heaven knows.

And sometimes, a safe landing is the greatest miracle of all.