You know how you do things without really thinking past the surface? For instance, when the server at Applebee’s brings your salad do you really think about where the produce came from, how clean the kitchen is and if the cook has a cold. If we really considered all of that we’d never eat out. Until restaurants do something to make us think otherwise, we trust them.

The other day I was on a plane and I let my mind wander as I stared out the window. I found myself thinking about things that don’t normally cross my mind. How in the world does this thing fly. It makes no sense to me. We are 30,000 feet in the air. What if the pilot has a heart attack? What if both pilots have heart attacks at the same time and we are over shark infested waters? Did the flight attendant say the seat was a flotation device? Why don’t I listen to those announcements! Oh wait, I’m flying to Virginia not the Virgin Islands so the likelihood of crashing in shark infested waters is slim. Who is the pilot? Is he a nice guy? We tell our kids to not get in cars with strangers so why is it OK to let a person I’ve never even seen take me 30,000 feet in the air?

So I got a little carried away. But at some point I snapped out of it and realized I have to trust the airline and the pilots. In reality, we all do that on some level all the time. What if I lose my job? What happens if our savings runs out? What about my health insurance? What if I lose it and get cancer? What if my kids do something embarrassing? What will people think? Maybe I’m just a bad parent. Just like cockroaches, fear silently creeps in.

There are countless extra large question marks in our lives. I think they are there to keep us humble. Just think how cocky we all would be if we knew why things happen the way they do or what was coming next. Faith is hopeful trust. There are just some things we don’t know now and may never have the answers to.

If I can trust a pilot who doesn’t even know my name to take me safely where I need to go then why shouldn’t I be able to trust God who knows me intimately to take me safely where I’m going. Faith and fear won’t fit in your heart at the same time. They’re both too big. Faith gives you peace, fear gives you heart palpitations and a headache.

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
-Hebrews 11:1