Once again
I realize
I’m in a holding pattern.
Circling a new airport,
Can’t see in the fog.
Need to land soon,
Running out of gas....
Can’t see in the fog.
The fog of fatigue
Battle fatigue from too many years
Of struggling to un-see the truth.
The fog of fear
Rising up in front of my face
No matter how strong my belief--
O, God,
"I do believe!
Help Thou my unbelief!"
Help Thou my untrust!
A glimpse of ground!
Gotta land soon.
Can’t land soon--
Too many variables.
And now I’ve lost the airport again.
It’s gone in the fog.
Circling ‘round,
Trying to find the airport.
Circling ‘round,
Trying to find my way home.
Even the familiar feels strange--
Can’t see my way,
Don’t know what to say,
Or how to feel.
Or what to think...
Not sure I know anything right now.
There’s a brief patch of clear,
A glimpse of ground again,
The fog blown away,
Where’s the runway?
There it is, right there!!
Oh, gone again
Just that quick.
I can’t do this.
I can’t keep circling ‘round.
I can’t keep hoping for
A glimpse of the ground.
Running out of fuel
And the fog rising thicker all ‘round.
Until…
I hear the voice of the tower
in my ear
Talking me down
Out of the sky
Trusting the voice,
Trusting the instruments,
Not by sight but by faith.
Nearing the ground
I finally see
The runway,
Find myself directly,
Correctly aligned
And dropping speed fast
Dropping from the sky
In a controlled glide
To the ground.
"Flare! Flare! Flare now! "
Cries the voice,
I obediently
Pull up the nose slightly
And float gently down
In a perfect, three-point landing,
Pillow-soft
On the ground.
By faith and not by sight.
©L.F. Haynie, June 11, 2014
And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it,” When you turn to the right or you turn to the left. [Isaiah 30:21, ESV]
For we walk by faith, not by sight. [2 Cor 5:7, ESV]