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July 21, 2004
Face the Wind
By Isabel Wolseley
Job 30:22 Thou liftest me up on the wind, thou makest me ride on it.
One Saturday afternoon, in 1939, I think, we teenagers looked for something to do. A couple of us hadn't seen an airplane up close, so we hiked to McPherson Airport at the edge of our town. Just then a pilot wearing a leather jacket, jodhpurs and boots up to his knees came out. He was strapping on a brown, skull-fitting helmet with goggles.
As usual, in Kansas, the strong south wind was whipping through the wheat fields, and we wondered whether the mosquito-like craft could actually take off. If the pilot turned his plane's tail to the wind, we reasoned, the gust from behind would help push it into the air. Instead, he headed forward, straight into the wind!
We craned our necks as the plane climbed, banked over tall grain elevators, then circled back to land. We were still hanging over the fence ogling, when the pilot walked over to us.
"Why didn't you use a tail wind when you took off?" my friend asked.
"If I let the wind come from behind," he explained, "I could end up in a ditch. Same with going crosswind, which could cause a wing tip to hit the ground. Just remember, the only way to make a plane behave is to head it straight into the wind."
That's a useful lesson for life, too. If the wind is trouble, face it. If it's happiness, soar.
Father, it seems You have to teach us daily how to reach toward the heights You have in mind for each of us. Thank You for Your help along the way and for Your endless patience. Help each of us face the 'right' direction, help us always to choose Your direction for our lives. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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July 21, 2004
Face the Wind
By Isabel Wolseley
Job 30:22 Thou liftest me up on the wind, thou makest me ride on it.
One Saturday afternoon, in 1939, I think, we teenagers looked for something to do. A couple of us hadn't seen an airplane up close, so we hiked to McPherson Airport at the edge of our town. Just then a pilot wearing a leather jacket, jodhpurs and boots up to his knees came out. He was strapping on a brown, skull-fitting helmet with goggles.
As usual, in Kansas, the strong south wind was whipping through the wheat fields, and we wondered whether the mosquito-like craft could actually take off. If the pilot turned his plane's tail to the wind, we reasoned, the gust from behind would help push it into the air. Instead, he headed forward, straight into the wind!
We craned our necks as the plane climbed, banked over tall grain elevators, then circled back to land. We were still hanging over the fence ogling, when the pilot walked over to us.
"Why didn't you use a tail wind when you took off?" my friend asked.
"If I let the wind come from behind," he explained, "I could end up in a ditch. Same with going crosswind, which could cause a wing tip to hit the ground. Just remember, the only way to make a plane behave is to head it straight into the wind."
That's a useful lesson for life, too. If the wind is trouble, face it. If it's happiness, soar.
Father, it seems You have to teach us daily how to reach toward the heights You have in mind for each of us. Thank You for Your help along the way and for Your endless patience. Help each of us face the 'right' direction, help us always to choose Your direction for our lives. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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