Skip to main content

Finding the Way Home

                As Mark Gubin sat on the roof of his art studio watching low-flying airplanes pass over and land at Milwaukee’s Mitchell international airport, he thought about painting a sign to welcome travellers to Milwaukee.  Then he had an even better idea.

                He grabbed a paint roller and in six-foot-tall white letters he wrote, “Welcome to Cleveland!”

                The sign on the roof did not bother the pilots.  They had radar, GPS, and ground communication that assured them that they were landing in Milwaukee as planned.  However, for more than forty years, Gubin’s misleading sign has caused a great deal of trouble for the flight attendants.  Routinely, people still look out the window, see the message on the roof and then panic thinking that they somehow got on the wrong flight.

                The difference between the pilots and the passengers is simply knowledge.  The pilots are certain about their path and where they are heading, while the passengers are unsure.

                One of the blessings of faith is that it gives us knowledge so that our lives have purpose and direction.  In fact, on the night of his crucifixion, Jesus said to his followers, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going” (John 14:1-4).

                The city of Milwaukee does not allow big misleading signs along the airport’s flight path anymore, but Gubin’s sign was grandfathered in and remains to this day.  By now, most people are aware it is a joke and are not confused by it any longer.  However, flight attendants are still quick to reassure confused passengers that they are on the right flight and are headed to the proper destination.

                Our enemy would like us to become confused and lose our way.  Do not let that happen!  Keep reading the Bible, praying, and trusting.  God will direct you home.

                “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dark and Light

            When you look out at the world, what do you see?             Some see nothing but trouble and pain.   They point to things like poverty, crime, problems with drugs and alcohol and marriage break-ups and say that the world is full of sadness and sorrow.   Watch the news for even a half hour and you will get the idea that the world is a dark place.             Others see nothing but good.   They appreciate generous people in their community.   They think about their friends and neighbours and smile.   They marvel at the beauty of sunrises and stars at night.   To them, the world is a bright and wonderful place.             You may be surprised that the Bible supports both of these world views.   On one hand it says things like, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the
1 comment
Read more

New Article: Five Words to Improve Your Relationships

                 In the late 1800s, it was common for railway companies to plant formal gardens beside their stations.   These gardens were filled with trees, shrubs, flowers, and fruit trees.   Sometimes they also featured a kitchen garden growing lettuce, carrots, corn, and potatoes.   Estevan’s Canadian Pacific Railway Garden was once located where Mid-City Plumbing and Heating is today.                The purpose of these gardens was to show what the land could produce.   After hours and sometimes days of riding across the featureless prairies, the railways wanted to show settlers the potential of their new home.   The gardens showed what was possible and they encouraged the settlers to transform their own land and discover its potential too.                Today’s verse acts similarly, in that it challenges us to find the potential in
Post a Comment
Read more

Forgetting What Is Behind

                   Generalizations are helpful because they show a pattern that is normally true. However, they are also dangerous because they ignore the exceptions to the rule.                  Here is my generalization:   It is a quality of the strong to be able to forget the past and move on.   The apostle Paul summarizes this idea when he states, “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God had called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). Too often, we trip over things that are behind us.   We remember and nurse old hurts.   We rehearse mistakes that no one else recalls.   In doing so, we pull the past into the present and allow it to dictate how we feel right now.   In these cases, we would be better off “forgett
Post a Comment
Read more