| Isaiah 55:6 – “Seek the LORD while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near.” |
Life tends to be lived in a straight line.
We get up in the morning, do what we do, go to bed and don’t think much about the direction.
Then, they next day we resume the direction we started.
Usually, it is not until something hits us hard do we start thinking about our trajectory in life.
Someone we know dies and it forces us to see the end of our own lives.
Something falls apart and we must evaluate what it means.
And it happens at various stages such as when you have children, when those children leave home, and when it is time to retire.
The question is “where am I headed.”
And it is a vital question for a reason.
It can be seen in an incident that happened 42 years ago.
It did not make worldwide headlines, but perhaps it should have.
Qantas, the Australian based airline, regular makes tourist flights over the south pole so those who pay a small fortune can say, “I saw the bottom of the earth.”
It was one of those flights that left New Zealand headed for the south pole with 279 sightseers on board readied with cameras.
As with any flight, it was not uncommon to make small corrections in course. The pilots put in such a change. However, they overcorrected by a mere 2 degrees.
Two degrees doesn’t seem like much. In fact, it is such a small slice of a circle that you can’t even turn your body just 2 degrees.
But, over miles, it does make a difference.
As they approached Antarctica, the pilots descended to give their passengers the view they paid so much to see. But the pilots could not see what was coming instead. Their coordinates had them heading toward an active volcano named Mount Erebus.
The snow on Erebus blended with the cloud.
The pilots lost track of where they were until an alarm squealed at them announcing the approach of the ground.
Within a few minutes, the plane crashed into the volcano, killing everyone on board.
God knew that life could head just in the wrong direction.
Samuel warned Saul of his impending doom, but he continued until the Lord tore the kingdom from his hands.
The Bible is littered with those whose life ended up in the wrong direction…people like Judas, Achan, and Rehoboam.
And God gives us opportunity to change course before it is too late. The word is “repentance,” a change of mind. On Pentecost, the crowd was told “repent and be baptized.” it was time to get back on course.
Remember that a small error over time creates problems. Take note of your life and make the changes while you can.
–Robert G. Taylor
robertgtaylor.com
