Careful, Someone Is Watching!

 

Monday, August 26, 2013

"So that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world" (Phil 2:15).

Hey Gang: Every time I hear or read of an aircraft accident it sends cold chills up my spine and I break out in a cold sweat.   I left the Air Traffic Control business in 1961, but the cold chills and sweat are as persistent today when I hear a ‘plane spun in,’ as they were the day I hung up my air traffic control spurs for the last time. There was a special bonding between the pilots of our squadron and the air traffic control teams that did all in our power to keep them safe.

But I would be remiss if I did not make one very important point.  When in flight in a jet fighter, if you did not have gauges to tell you if you were flying right-side up or up-side down, you would not have a clue.  This is referred to as the “attitude” of the aircraft.  You can be in a horizontal or vertical or descending or climbing attitude and without the gauges to keep you up to speed in your attitude, you would not have a clue. 

While working in a Rapcon in the Air Force, a pilot called with a fire indicator on board.  His wing man reported no indication of fire and the flight continued.  But, several minutes later he received a second indication that his aircraft was on fire.  He was in the downward attitude as he approached the landing. The aircraft, on the inbound route, was over a congested area that included a hospital. The pilot chose to pull the aircraft up and take it to a nearby lake and put down there, to assure no one would be injured. 

When he made that decision, he knew there was a chance that he would not survive the decision. To assure that the aircraft did, indeed, hit the water, he put it into a nose-down attitude before ejecting - which resulted in his death.  In other words, the attitude of the aircraft killed him.  If he would have been in a 45 degree or better attitude, his ejection would have given him sufficient altitude for the chute to open and save his life.  

Paul had a great deal to say about ‘attitude’ in his letter to the Philippians and, for that matter, all of his teaching and writings.  In Philippians 2:5 he wrote: “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped.”

Soooo, my young chicks, as you walk out the door into the mission field this morning, do an attitude check. Keep in mind someone is watching you and your attitude might be the key in their deciding- if they want to accept and serve your God.  You may be the only Bible they will read this day, week or ever.

Blessings,

Gramps