The Gospel Plan

One of the questions of often get about flying has to do with landing an airplane in bad weather. "How do you know where the runway is when you can't see outside?" There are several methods but the most preferred is the ILS, or Instrument Landing System. 

The ILS is made up of two transmitters on the ground and a receiver in the airplane. At the very far end of the runway is an antenna called a Localizer. It sends out an electronic beam so to speak that is aligned with the runway centerline, and fans out about six degrees either side of centerline. The other antenna is called the Glide Slope and is located about a thousand feet down the runway and off to the side. It does exactly the same thing as the localizer except the beam is turned vertical. It's angled such that the slope of the beam is typically three degrees. 

In the airplane there is a receiver that takes these signals and interprets them and displays via "needles" the aircraft's position in relation to the beams. This display is called the Course Deviation Indicator, or CDI. There is a vertical needle that shows your deviation from the center of the localizer and a horizontal needle that shows your deviation from the center of the glide slope. The key to finding the runway and also to not crashing into anything is to keep the two needles perfectly centered. Eventually you'll get low enough and close enough that you can see the runway lights through the fog and land. 

Due to the way the localizer and glide slope are designed, the closer you get to the antennas the more sensitive the needles get. Conversely, the farther you get from them the less sensitive they get. You might be twenty miles out and have both needles perfectly centered on your CDI. You'd think that you've got it nailed and all you have to do is just maintain your current aircraft state and you'll get there. Not so. The sensivity is so low that you might actually be 500 feet off the centerline but you really can't tell from the indications. If you made no corrections the needle would eventually begin to deflect off to one side and you'd miss the runway completely and leave the protected area (area guaranteed to be free from obstacles). So the trick to making it to the runway is to always be making small corrections, both vertically and laterally, as you fly down the ILS. 

I realized that this is exactly what the gospel plan is and how we are to live it. The Gospel is the straight and narrow path that leads to Eternal Life. The Gospel is the the absolute center of the localizer and glide slope. But the truth of life is that none of us are perfect. We will make mistakes. We will deviate from the course. Sometimes deviations are due to our own lack of attention. Other times, the crosswinds of life blow us slightly off course. If we don't correct these deviations we will not make it to the runway safely. Likewise, we need to constantly be repenting of our sins. If we don't take advantage of the atonement of Christ and correct our mistakes we will get further and further off our spiritual course back to Heavenly Father. The biggest point to take away is that it is never just a one time correction, but a constant correction. As we get closer and closer to Christ our deviations will become smaller and smaller, but they are still there. We must always correct to stay centered. Eventually the end of life will come. Either you've mastered the skill of correction and repentance and the "runway" apears directly in front of you, exactly where you were expecting it, or you neglected to master correction and repentance and it is too late, and the "runway" is no where to be found. 

Obviously the runway in his analogy is our end goal, Eternal Life. Lest we think we could make it on our own, without the grace and atonement of Jesus Christ none of this would be possible. There would be no way of us to be able to correct back to the true course because we would have no indications as to where it was. The atonement of Christ gives our aircraft flight controls. Only through him are we even able to make corrections. If we trust his directions and use his grace to make corrections we will eventually land safely in his arms and imherit Eternal Life. 

As I have loved you, Love one another.

So I decided to start a new blog. I'm usually terrible at these things. I get all excited about it and then after a month or so I completely forgot I even have it. But considering the topic of this blog is more meaningful than daily life experiences, I.e., a journal, I should be able to keep this one alive.

This month I've been on reserve. In laymans terms, reserve is where I'm on call and am used to fill in.  Sometimes there was originally no one scheduled for the flight, or someone gets sick and so they call me in order to fill in. Regardless of the reason, if the company finds itself short a pilot, they call me. Reserve can be a bit interesting because though I am based in Salt Lake, I could be used anywhere in our network. Because of this reserve comes with a lot of deadheads. A deadhead is where the company books you as a passenger on a flight to simply relocate you to a place where you can pick up a flight. Deadheads aren't all that bad. I get paid for them and I can just relax, listen to music and drink as much apple juice as my bladder will allow all while chowing down on Asian-style snacks and Stroopwaffels (these things are divine! I could eat them all day long!) I also get to people watch. That can be quite entertaining!

I usually try to check in for deadheads as soon as possible, which is 24 hours in advance. This allows me to have a good chance of selecting a good seat, which on the regional jets is 7D. It's the first row right behind first class, the legroom is phenomenal and the window has the perfect placement so you don't have to be a contortionist just to see outside. It also give you a pretty good observation point for watching the person in first class on the other side of the airplane.

This one particular trip a few weeks ago, I was being deadheaded out to San Fransisco to work a flight to Ontario, CA and back. It happened that I was able to secure my favorite seat, 7D. The lucky soul that happened to be in the first class exhibit was a girl probably about 15 years old. I imagine she and her family were heading off to Hawaii considering her attire and belongings that she had with her. She gazed intently out the window as we taxied and took off. Eventually the thrill of flying wore off on her and she settled in to playing games on her iPad. She was quite the master of Candy Crush. Occasionally she would pause from her games, and stare out the window for a few minutes.

As I on and off again watched her fidget and dive into technology like all 15 year old girls do, I had an incredibly profound feeling come over me. First it was a deep sense of responsibility. This girl sitting there, enjoying her life, probably anxiously waiting for a fun time with her family in Hawaii, with a full and promising life ahead of her, was ultimately giving up all control over her own life, and putting it into the hands and expertise of the two pilots in command of our flight. Never before had it hit me so strongly that people literally trust their lives to my keeping while on my airplane. At that same moment I felt an overwhelming sense of love for this girl, whom I didn't even know. In fact, I felt a deep sense of love for every single person on that airplane. All these people have lives, hopes, dreams. Every single person on that plane was someone's child whom they dearly love. I wanted to go and hug each one of them! But since I was in my uniform I figured that probably wouldn't be appropriate.

Then I thought about the Savior. If we truly want to get anywhere in this life or even in the life to come, we have to board his aircraft, and place our whole lives in his care, trusting that he will get us there safely. The grand truth though is that Jesus never makes mistakes; he is the master aviator. He WILL get you there. You just have to get onboard. Yes, the ride might be turbulent. It's an unavoidable fact of flying, and of life. However, there is no turbulence that Jesus hasn't been through. In fact, Jesus is the master of the skies. At his command they obey him.

Before we ever get onboard an aircraft, we have an inate trust that it is well maintained, and that the pilots are competent. Once they close the cockpit door you can't see the pilots anymore. You can't see where the aircraft is heading. You have a side view, but never the full picture. They speak over the PA  system and give you updates, but only as much information as you need to know. How much like life this is! I don't know all the details of my life's journey  I look out to what I can see and have an idea of where I am. Sometimes I look out and I'm not exactly where I thought I would be. But Jesus is flying, so why worry about it. I can't even see Jesus as he guides me to my destination. I can hear him speak occasionally, giving me a few clarifying updates. But I trust he's getting me there exactly how he wants me to get there. I'm thankful the Master is at the helm.

Can you imagine the love Jesus has for each of us? In fact, he loves each one so much that he, the master aviator, the master of oceans, and earth, and skies, has been entrusted by the Father to personally fly each of us home? What a grand responsibility that is! In a small way, I felt the weight of that responsibility, and the deep love for others that comes from it.

Another deadheading experience gave me pause to think about the love Jesus has for us.

I hadn't slept well the night before and was up very early to take a flight that morning. After the flight I was to deadhead home from Denver to Salt Lake. As previously mentioned I had checked in and gotten the seat I wanted, 7D. As I boarded the airplane, I found a man sitting in my seat with his young son next to him. I figured he sat there by mistake but not wanting to cause a scene I took what was supposed to be his seat, in 7B.

 Needless to say I was a little annoyed. I wanted the window so I could lean up against it and maybe get some sleep. Then to make it worse, he pulled out a to go box of Panda Express and started eating that. Normally I love Panda, by when you just feel aweful because you're tired the smell of Panda just doesn't hit the spot. I thought to myself, "Seriously, how hard is it to read your stupid boarding pass and sit in the correct seat? Ever thought that someone specifically selected that seat? Hello?! That's what I did!"

I sat there for about 5 minutes brooding over the situation before looking over at the two to satisfy my discontent. But then I started to observe them. First thing I noticed was that the man was a member of the church, as I could see the tops of his garments when he bent over to pick something up off the floor. Second I noticed that he was wearing a wedding ring, so obviously he was married. Third, I noticed how his son seemed to be adoring his dad. As I watched this man who had taken my seat, I felt ashamed that I had thought so badly of an individual that I didn't even know. For one, he was a brother in the Gospel, relying as I do upon the mercy of Jesus Christ to live his life the best he could. Secondly, this man had a wife who thinks the world of him. He is the greatest thing that has happened to her, and she loves him regardless of when he decides to eat Panda Express. And lastly, that little boy who loved his dad and probably has no other goal in life at the moment than to be just as awesome as his dad.

I was humbled and immediately the discontent I felt was turned to love. This man is a precious child of God! He is loved by God more than I could ever comprehend. He has the potential to inherit Eternal Life, the same as I have that potential, and every single person in this world! Jesus Christ loves that man. Who am I to be angry at him for taking a seat that I would only occupy for an hour. It simply just didn't matter and I happily sat in 7B as I contemplated the love of God. I almost brought myself to apologize to the man for the hard feelings that I had, but I figured that since he was probably none the wiser, it wouldn't be necessary. But as I sat there I said a silent prayer and apologized to my God for those feelings, and asked his forgiveness.

"A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." -John 13:34