When Planes Crash…
Hey family!
Earlier this week, I remembered a conversation I had with my older brother a couple years ago that has stuck with me ever since. I was feeling overwhelmed and hopeless, and there was nothing I could think of that could change my situation or make it better. I felt so discouraged.
On the phone, I told my brother how I was feeling and my thoughts about the situation I was in. I complained, I talked about how unfair it was, I questioned how I even got there, I complained some more, and I wished that things had been different.
And after a slight pause in my monologue of misfortune, my brother said, “You know, when planes are crashing, pilots don’t think about how they even got in this situation to begin with or where the copilot got their flying license, all they think about in that moment is what they need to do to land the plane with minimal damage.”
And I’m like, first of all…what the HELL does this guy even know about planes?
But he was right.
Because there are times in life that can feel like your plane is crashing and all you can see ahead of you is impending doom. Absolute tragedy. Nothing but loss. And worry and fear have a way of putting these blinders on us, ones that magnify the problems in our lives but blur any hope.
So a lot of times, our reaction is to stay in that space and wonder where everything went wrong. The thing is, this does absolutely nothing for us.
In those moments, all we can do is take the next best step to land our plane with minimal damage. And that feels scary, I know. But your life is in your very capable hands, and I trust that you’ll find a way to land your plane safe and sound. But, of course, this is something you'll need to believe in for yourself to pull it off.
Seneca said it best back in the day:
“Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens.”
Yep, much easier said than done!
I’m a pretty optimistic person, but to think that life will leave you unscathed is unrealistic at best. But to think that you can’t come out on top…well that’s just untrue. So believe in your ability to make it through whatever scary, stressful, crazy stuff life might be throwing at you right now. Believe wholeheartedly that you can land your plane to safety!
Reflection question of the week: If it feels like your plane is crashing fast, what’s the next best, level-headed step you can take to land your plane with minimal damage?
