Watch His Face

In the last 7 days, I’ve been in 4 states and 3 countries on 6 airplanes.  This is because I got to take a trip with my husband when he was asked to speak at a medical school on the island of Grenada.  Then, we flew back to Nashville and gathered up our kids to fly to Texas where my amazing husband received an “outstanding young alumni” award from our alma mater. 

On one of the flights home, my husband sat with my older daughter, and I sat with my youngest.  At one point, there was a bit of turbulence.  You know the kind where the plane slips just slightly to one side, then up and down just a tad while it evens out.  No drinks were spilled, hardly anyone looked up.  But, I saw my daughter look to my face immediately.  She was watching for my reaction.  When she saw me smile calmly, she smiled in return and looked back at her book. 

That got me thinking about the various kinds of “turbulence” that hit our lives at times.  Often, it’s just the little air bumps that startle us—skinned knees, lost keys, speeding tickets, or even running out of toner for the printer.  These things might get our attention for a moment, but they’re usually forgotten in no time.   But sometimes we hit the drastic kind of turbulence that knocks your drink over and sends your stomach through the top of your head: job loss, unexpected death, illness, or even relationship trouble.  These things leave us reeling—feeling scared and unsure. 

The thing is, in BOTH cases, we should look to the face of our Father the way Alexis looked at mine.  It may feel like our world is crashing to the ground, but when we look to Him, he’s calm because He knows this is not the end.  You see, He’s already been to the “end” so that we don’t have to go there.  When we look for his face in scripture, we find that “he set His face towards Jerusalem.”  Meaning, He was determined to go to the cross.  This was where He would pay for our sins and ultimately conquer death by rising again.  Because He did that, not one ounce of turbulence can change our course. 

Don’t get me wrong, our ride might be bumpy.  We might even lose an engine or feel like we are spiraling out of control.  And I believe that His face will register our pain and sadness, but never fear.  Perfect love drives out fear and He loves us perfectly.  He knows our destination and He knows that He is the one who will get us there. 

When things get bumpy and I look to Him, I see Him smile calmly. 

His face says: 

“This is scary, but it’s not going to be the end.” 

“Turbulence is rarely fun, but I am with you.” 

“Don’t worry my child, you are still on route to your destination: eternity with Me.”

Watch His face.  He’s calmly looking back at you.  Turbulence might freak us out a little and sometimes it even feels like there is cause for alarm.  But if you’re on His plane, you can trust that He will see you through.