As massive engines thundered beyond my window, runways traveled faster and faster past my limited view, echoing the increased beating of my heart. Rounded walls pressed deeply into my left shoulder as travelers were packaged as tightly as airlines would allow, heightening my aversion to closed-in spaces. Breathing deeply of the canned air, I began a countdown, knowing that in no more than 30 seconds, ninety-five thousand pounds of aluminum, plastic and 200 beating hearts would break the bonds of gravity, laughing at the terra firma below. The rumble of landing gear gave way to smoother air as we continued our ascent. Earthen bound buildings became distant as we left the confines of earth.
As blood pressure and cabin pressure stabilized, my perspective slowed from the elevated vantage point. Familiar highways and intersections began to take shape as the entire city came into focus. I began to recognize familiar buildings, some of which our company had built over the past 25 years. Even the smallest of details came to mind, design elements and particular problems seemed as if it was yesterday.
In my day job, construction drawings float across my desk, two dimensional sketches of dreams yet to be realized. Stepping onto an undeveloped plot, I visualize what and where the building will be. Returning upon completion, I am amazed how closely reality mirrored my vision, but rarely do I get such a view from the sky. What it was, what it has become.
Flying out of Denver, above snow-capped mountains, what I considered my greatest builds pale in comparison to the Handiwork of the Creator in Chief. He saw what it was once, a lifeless blob, and formed it into a majestic masterpiece. What it was, what it has become.
Our lives here are just a breath, a moment, fading like a vapor. Yet just as I remembered the slightest details of a plan from 20+ years ago, in my heart, I know oh too well what I was. Thanks be to God that by His Grace and Mercy, He leads me from the bonds of the earth below, through the clouds to a clear blue sky, a glimpse of who I hope to be. And when I fail, He reaches out and draws me back to Himself. I pray that who I am becoming will be pleasing in His sight and that one day, in the brightest of skies, I will kneel in His presence, a man after His own heart.
If these words have been a blessing, reach out to me at John@LiftedKeys.com and tell me your story. I would love to know where and in what way God has guided His words through my pen.
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