Why Is He Flying So Low?

(Me) Why is he flying so low?
(Friend) To stay out of the way of other flights or to avoid turbulence.
(Me) Huh?

A frantic, typed out message exchanged with my friend on our way home from Michigan. Our plane took off without turbulence, but never fully reached altitude. The lights that signaled our mobility never came on. I watched as rooftops passed my window and grew incredibly concerned. The pilot wasn’t pulling up. It was dark, and he was flying really low. What the heck was he doing? After about forty-five minutes of sweating in my chair, our plane finally broke through the clouds, and I could see the star-filled sky. It was then that it all made sense.
Lightning.
Lots and lots of lightning. The pilot was flying low to avoid the electrical storm that raged from above.

It’s amazing how a situation like this can put everything in perspective. Here I was, thinking I knew what the pilot should be doing. I assumed I knew what was best for our flight, when in reality, my plan could have put us in grave danger. I often make this same mistake with God. I think I know how things should be done and question His chosen path. But just like my flight, I don’t always know the bigger picture. And I have no clue what’s beyond the clouds.

I’m grateful I have a Pilot of my life that isn’t me.