Head on a Platter
The first time I saw a T-38, my wife, myself, and our, at the time, two-year daughter were driving into Valdosta, GA where I would attend Air Force Pilot Training. As we approached Moody Air Force base, a stark white jet made a low pass over us. Probably just took off. I was amazed at the sleek lines, blistering speed, and volcanic roar. It only lasted a few seconds but the thrill has remained with me.
By some stroke of good fortune, a lot of study, and excellent instruction, I made it through the T-41 and T-37 phases. Finally, my dream came true. I got the chance to train on the “White Rocket.”My instructor was someone who would become a person of influence in my life. He dragged me through some of the toughest flying I would ever see. Nearing the end of the course, we began training in formation flying. It was hard enough to keep the stallion under control with its stiletto wings and two powerful jet engines. Now, it was time to fly it within inches of another T-38 screaming through the South Georgia skies.
The way we stayed on the wing of the lead jet was to superimpose the pilot’s head directly above the Air Force emblem painted on the fuselage just below the cockpit of the aircraft. We called it “keeping the pilot’s head on the platter.” If his head moved forward of the platter, you”wiggled” the throttles slightly forward until the right perspective resumed. We then “wiggled” them back microscopically when his head was back on the platter. Same principle applied if the pilots head moved aft of being centered on the platter. The throttles were rarely stationary because we were in such fluid dynamics.
The process required highly refined powers of concentration and quick responses to changes in perspective. We actually lost a classmate during a formation flight in an Air National Guard F-100 shortly after graduation. Over-controlling.
For some of us, a very similar set of skills is required in the development in our relationship with God. Not everyone, but many of us, myself included, have vulnerabilities in life that subject us to bouts of instability and anxiety when subjected to varying levels of threat and stress. A strongly developed, deeply rooted sense of self confidence is a treasure not possessed by everyone. For the rest of us, surviving the squalls of upheaval in life requires a keen focus on recognizing and fixating on the reality that God is our defender and source for everything we need. In a word, our Rock. If we allow Him to move forward or aft of the platter of our heart even minutely, the restlessness, anxiety, and instability of our world begins to creep in and possibly overwhelm us.
The hard part is recognizing the distractions that could lead to a crash. With practice however, we can stay on His wing in perfect formation.
“He will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Him.”
Kent
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