I don't like planes. At all. Which is rather ironic since I travel on them a lot. Last January, I took 6 planes just to get to Kenya. Yup, I did not enjoy that at all. At all.
I think my fear is getting worse as I am getting older. I remember when I used to just trust whatever the travel agent would book for me. My only criteria was price. I just wanted the cheapest flight I could get. So I didn't care what airlines it was or how many planes I had to take or how long my layovers were. But now I have become a bit more picky.
I am currently looking into one-way flights to Kenya for next month (YUP! I am going back! SO exciting! Will write more about that later). The cheapest flight I found on my own was a flight plan to LA then Dubai then Nairobi. First of all, I was excited about getting to go to Dubai but once I found out that the flight from LA to Dubai was almost 16 hours long, my stomach dropped. That flight plan would take me 3 days to get to Kenya. It was through Emirates airlines though, which is one of the top airlines in the world. So I started looking at the Emirates website and what they offered. Then I looked at numerous reviews of the company from many different sources. Then I looked up which aircraft I would travel on and search their safety ratings. Then I searched airplane safety in general. I tried to convince myself that I could bear the 16 hour flight (and an overnight layover in LA) because it is such a great airlines and I would get to see Dubai for a few hours.
However, a few days later I gave up that idea and went to a travel agent to see if she could find me a more favourable flight plan in the same price range. I told her what I was looking for and she said she would need some time to look it up as I was quite specific.
I got a call from her this afternoon with some news. She told me she found another flight plan that was a smidgen cheaper and didn't involve any 16- hour flights or crazy overnight lay-overs. It is from Vancouver to Chicago to London to Nairobi. Not bad. I then asked what the airlines were. She told me that the first two flights were Delta and the last flight was Kenya Airways. Again, my stomach dropped. Not the biggest fan of those airlines. So again I started my research on the airlines, their aircraft, their services, safety ratings, and reviews. I have to say, I wasn't to pleased with what I found. They are definitely not some of the top airlines in the world. I just remember being in Kenya in 2007 and we had to have a 'day of mourning' because a Kenya Airways plane crashed in Cameroon. Ever since then, I have always been nervous about them (even though I did fly home on them last year and it wasn't all that bad).
My mind was racing. Which route should I go? Do I want comfort or a short trip? Or should I should fork out the cash and get what I want???
Then I stopped. And realized that I was getting a bit out of control. A little bit excessive. And realized...
Where is my trust in God?
I have put my trust in airplanes and safety ratings and reviews and man made things but have not once consulted God and put my trust in Him. He is the one who created all things. He created the air, the sky, the land, oceans, airplanes, safety, great systems, turbulence, and all those things. He created the universe and all things in it. So why must I be afraid? He is awesome and powerful and mighty and all-knowing. So why fret?
So I have surrendered it to Him and vowed that I would no longer stress over it. And if I crash into the ocean, I just get to be with my King a lot sooner.
TRUST in the Lord with ALL your heart and LEAN NOT on your own understanding...
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