“[Do you] ever think about what falls off the plane you're riding in? I do.
Screws. Bolts. Rivets. Metal shards. Pieces of tire.
They shake loose during landing, fall off during taxi, get left behind at gates. This isn't rare. It's constant.
So before your plane arrives at the gate, a ground crew does a "FOD walk." They physically walk the area, eyes on pavement, hunting for [Foreign Object Debris, or FOD]. They do it again before you depart. The runway gets inspected daily, sometimes multiple times per shift.
Why the obsession with tiny objects?
In 2000, a titanium strip fell off one aircraft at Paris Charles de Gaulle. Minutes later, another plane rolled over it during takeoff. One shredded tire. One ruptured fuel tank. 113 people gone.
A bolt costs $0.50. FOD damage costs aviation $4 billion annually.
The system works because it's boring, repetitive, and happens whether anyone's watching or not. Most passengers never think about the person who walked their gate 30 minutes before boarding.”
What I just shared is from a recent post by Shaun Hall on LinkedIn, that reminded me of the following important biblical principles. (The text above is a direct quote from his post.)
1) A lifetime of routine consistency in our relationship with Jesus may not result in recognition or success in the near term, but it may be preparation for future moments of significance.
· Example: Simeon had faithfully and regularly gone into the temple courts all his life, worshiping God and waiting for the fulfillment of a promise that the Holy Spirit had given him:
o Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel." The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. (Luke 2:25-33 NIV)
2) A lifetime of routine consistency in our relationship with Jesus brings protection, peace, guidance, and blessing... sometimes in very unexpected ways! Here are a few personal examples of undeserved, surprising guidance, protection and blessing:
· During the first year of our marriage, I was carrying the load of 4 engineers, because the other 3 engineers in my group had left the company, due to concerns about the survivability of the company. I was, therefore, working long hours and many weekends. One night, as we were eating (another) late supper, I actually fell asleep eating! My wife woke me up and said, “I think we need to talk about your job.” And I agreed. She asked me what would be the “perfect” job description for my next job. I quickly said, “If someone offered me a job doing this, and this, and this, that would be the perfect job for me.” We began praying that God would lead me to another job. Within a week, one of those engineers who had left my company called me. He said, “Johnny, I have no idea if you are looking for a job or not. But if you are, we have an opening here. You would be doing this, and this, and this.” I sat there in amazement, for he had just read my “perfect job” description to me! My wife’s consistency in taking all her cares to the Lord in prayer (and encouraging me to do so) had prepared her to initiate that prayer, which brought an amazing answer.
· Many years ago, during my lunchtime run, I foolishly tried to alternate sprints and a steady pace for my 3-mile course – foolish because it was 97 degrees that day! I don’t even remember completing the run. I had no warning signs that I was on the verge of heat stroke. Several people later told me that they saw me collapse on the patio, falling against a trash can which broke my fall. They immediately summoned the company EMT, who treated me until an ambulance arrived and swept me away to the hospital ER. While in route to the hospital, the paramedics gave me oxygen and started an IV bag of fluids. I stayed in the ER for a few hours and then went home. The paramedics said that if I had collapsed somewhere away from the building, I might not have made it. Two days later, my wife finally confided in me a conversation she had had with God the night before my incident. While lying in bed, not being able to go to sleep, she had begun to worry that I might die early in life. She began to silently cry out to God to please spare my life and protect me from being taken early in my life, for whatever reason. Once again, my wife’s consistency in taking all her cares to the Lord in prayer had prepared her to pray for me... even BEFORE I needed it! (Humorous side note: During the following week, the Lord led me to this verse from Psalm 116:6 -- “The LORD preserves the simple: I was brought low, and He saved me.” The Hebrew word for simple means “foolish.” I was certainly foolish, and I was indeed “brought low,” but God indeed “saved me!”😊 Thanks be to God!)
In summary: A lifetime of routine consistency in our relationship with Jesus may not result in recognition or success in the near term, but (like Simeon) it may be preparation for future moments of significance.
Will you take a moment now to reflect back on your life and see where God honored your routine consistency over the years and brought you unexpected protection, peace, guidance, or blessing?
Today, I encourage you to "Reflect on This."