Only Listen to the RIGHT Voices!

I did my flight training at a small airport in Cleveland, OK. Getting my pilot’s license was my husband’s idea. Since we often flew cross country with our children on board, he felt it important that I should, at least be able to land the plane….just in case the unthinkable happened to him. He was an extremely conscientious pilot, so very thorough, and did everything according to flight regulations. He took no chances. I think he was prouder for me than I was of myself when I did my first solo flight. My instructor was the best around, and it was easy to listen and follow any instructions he gave me. He’d coach me when flying with me, and, from the radio while I would be performing a solo flight. On one of my “touch and go” training days (that’s when you repetitively land the plane and take off again), my husband got on the airport radio (mind you, this was a very small airport) and was pressing upon me to use flaps (they’re on the wings of the plane and they increase the angle of descent for landing, and they slow the aircraft down). Not having practiced landing with flaps without my instructor, I was uneasy about going for it, but I did. And, listening to the WRONG voice coach me, I didn’t account for the slower speed and I barely landed on the runway, AND I took out several runway lights along the way. Thanks be to God, the plane and I survived, but not without incident. Though gentle, my instructor scolded me for listening to a voice, other than his. He knew what I was capable of handling and what I had been adequately trained for, and a landing using full flaps wasn’t one of them.

We have to do much the same thing where the voice of God is concerned. If I’m going to follow the instructions He gave in Proverbs 4:20 “My son (or daughter), attend to my words, incline your ear to my sayings”, I must always be tuned in to what He’s saying to me. I must be continually listening for HIS words…..and none other. In life, just as in the cockpit, that’s not always easy. There are all kinds of voices out there making a lot of noise. But I’m determined not to let them distract me, because God’s voice is the only one I really need to hear. His words are the only ones that can provide a beautiful and abundant life,,,,,and a perfect landing. Other voices can lead me to destruction – His voice is the one to follow!