Almost a week ago now, I was flying home from a thing I had to do in Orlando that I’ll be writing about at some point but it isn’t what this post is about.
As I’ve written previously, I’ve been reading a book by John Calvin called A Little Book on the Christian Life. It’s an amazing book and you should absolutely buy it and read it. Seriously. It’s only $5 for the ebook version. It’s a quick read if you don’t have four kids and a full time job and ministry responsibilities. Actually, even then, it’s a quick read.
Each chapter takes about 20 minutes to work through and what you get in return is blessed.
Reading this little book is like being spoken to by your pastor with a Bible between the two of you. It isn’t filled with complicated theology or any mention of the Canons of Dort that somehow keep getting pinned solely to Calvin.
Instead, what you read is an exhortation to treasure the Word of God and relationship with Him above all else. More than riches, family, comfort or life itself.
That last bit is… well, it takes on a whole new meaning when you are flying.
My flight left on time and was looking to arrive something like a half hour early. I was feeling good. That’s when the turbulence began.
When we left Orlando, the pilot told us that the weather in Chicago was 79 and clear. When we were over Indiana, some passengers noticed that we had begun to fly in a circle. That’s when we were told that the temperature in Chicago had dropped to 45, visibility was about 8 miles and the wind was gusting up to 25 miles an hour.
It was right then that I was being told by Calvin to treasure Christ over my own life. To trust in Him alone, as I wondered if I was going to see my family again.
But the thing is that he was right. It’s in those moments when you are reminded that your life is not in your hands. It’s in His, and He will do a far better job with it than you ever could.
So while it wasn’t the most comfortable place to be reading the book, as I was surrounded by the sounds of people who had just been to Disney World being sick in paper bags, but it was definitely the right place to be reading that book.
