An Aisle Seat

 

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 few years ago, I boarded a plane bound for DFW airport.  I had spent the Thanksgiving holiday with my family and now it was time to return home. I decided to travel on Monday and Friday instead of Wednesday and Sunday to avoid all the headache, the mad rush, the long lines, and the delays that so invariably accompany this time of year. 

 

Both of my flights, both coming and going, were pleasant.  The flight home, however, was not as full as the flight back to Texas.  On Friday, there was not one open seat on the entire airplane.  When I purchased my ticket, the plane was only 2/3 full but now it was completely filled with no room even for a stow-away!  At the last minute, I decided to change my seat. Normally I love to sit by the window but the only window seat I could find was at the very back of the plane.  However, there was one aisle seat open very close to the front and I grabbed it just a few hours before takeoff. 

 

Window seats are wonderful because they allow you to see where you are going. I love to watch the changing landscape below, to see the majestic clouds as they whisk by, and to observe just how small we really are compared to the vastness of God’s creation.  The window seat also gives me reassurance that we are headed in the right direction, not that I could do anything about it if we were headed the wrong way.  The ability to see where I am going provides at least a modicum of control even though I have none! 

 

That Friday was completely different.  From the aisle, I could see only partially out the window and the view was always the same—blue sky, white clouds!  Not long into our flight, the captain’s voice sounded over the intercom system and told us all the pertinent information.  We would be flying at 26,000 feet, our flight path would take us over Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and finally into Texas.  He assured us the flight would be smooth with minimal turbulence. 

 

As his voiced faded, it occurred to me just how much I trusted this man flying the airplane whom I had never met.  All I had to go on was his voice and the information he gave.  In the aisle seat, I couldn’t see where we were, I couldn’t tell our direction, and I could see no landmarks.  I simply had to trust that when the plane landed, Dallas and Fort Worth would be right where he said they were.  Yep, the aisle seat is all about trust. 

 

Would it surprise you to know that the concept of the aisle seat is found in the Bible?  Way before the Wright brothers flew at Kitty Hawk, way before there were aisle seats on airplanes, and way before the idea of commercial airlines, the concept of the aisle seat existed.  Would you like to know who was sitting in it?  Let’s find out! 

 

In Genesis 12:1 we read, “The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.”  Abram, known as Abraham later in his life, knew first-hand what it meant to sit in the aisle seat.  Look at the Lord’s call on his life in this passage.  Abraham has no idea where he is headed.  He cannot see familiar landmarks because he has never been where he is going.  He doesn’t know how far the journey will be, and he has no idea how long it will take.  Sound familiar?  All Abraham knows, all he has to go on, is God’s word and that word is simply go! 

 

Unsure of his future, unsure of his direction, unsure of success, and unsure of his direction, Abraham puts his foot forward and takes that first step.  The rest of his story is an incredible walk with God. 

 

Are you in the aisle seat today?  Do you long to see out the window, to know where you are going?  We have all been there.  Our Heavenly Father knows our destination and He is more than able to get us there safely.  All we need do is trust Him.  Bon voyage!