How Thick Is Your Scar Tissue?

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of  your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.  (James 1:2-3).

Hey Gang:  While working as an Air Traffic Controller I learned a great lesson that I have tried to pass on to all of you up and comers, to survive in this hi-tech world we need to develop scar tissue.    Read the Scripture once again and zero in on the key words encounter – testing – endurance - perfect and complete.

Now let me put some meet on that statement.  I served in the Air Force as an Air Traffic Controller in a ‘Control Center’ after the war had ended in Korea and most of the troops, including air craft, had been pulled back to Japan.  Our job was to train the ROK (Korean) airman to be able to take over when we pulled the rest of the troops out.  It was a very busy day when more than twenty aircraft requested my assistance in any given shift.

When I finished my tenure in Korea, I was assigned to a Rapcon (Radar Approach Control Center)  at Selfridge Air Force Base in Michigan, which was home base for a fighter wing of F86F jets.   The mission of the fighter wing was to protect the northern borders of the United States.  Readiness required continual up grading of skills and building scar tissue that would get the flight jockeys up to speed.  

From Selfridge I moved to the Greater Pittsburgh Airport as an Air Route Traffic Center Controller. Now that was a horse of a different color from any thing I had done before! But I was good at it and they needed controllers.  I was moved up very rapidly and fully checked out as a Radar Controller in short order.  

Now for the principle, I was very competent as a radar controller and could handle peek traffic but I lacked the ‘scar tissue’ that one builds up from spending a year at the assistant position, a year of supervised time on the radio control position. I received very few hours of supervised time as a full radar controller. During that time I was also training and writing scenarios for trainees as we changed from prop planes to Jets – which were out flying our outdated radar.

 The end result - my nerves began to frazzle and, once that happens in the Air traffic control field, you best bite the bullet and hit the road.  That I did. (Remember, Don’t get too Comfortable?)

Soooo, my good young friends, when you crave that next rung on the ladder make sure you have sufficient ‘scar tissue’ from the last rung to provide the mental toughness to succeed.  Jesus lived with, taught and role modeled twelve men for three years and I am sure there were many nights later when they wished they would have had another three or more years to prepare themselves and sharpen their remembering.  Praise God for His Holy Spirit. 

Blessings, 

Gramps