Airplanes and unconditional love

So the ec team (minus our fearless leader Mike) is packing up and heading to Texas this weekend. We’re excited because we’re going to meet with some students like you who will help us shape future issues of the magazine. It’s fun to hang out with readers and see what makes them tick. Everyone is so different, and I think it’s awesome that I get to meet new people all over the country as part of my job.

So anyways, I’ve got a plane ride ahead of me. I like planes. Maybe it’s the peanuts. Maybe it’s how quickly we arrive at our destination compared to driving. But one of the things I may enjoy most about air travel is talking to God. Something about feeling a little closer to heaven while being up that high really makes me want to pray. (That, and the threat of death by plane crash at any moment. Worst case scenario—check!) At any rate, while I’m flying, I’m reminded of just how creative God is, how close He is all the time (not just when I’m up in the air), and how much He loves me.

As I’ve studied our God’s unique and amazing love—I’ll be honest here—I get a little impatient with His patience in the Old Testament. I kind of want Him to zap the Israelites for their inability to be loyal to Him. I mean, He made water come out of rocks and fed them and made their enemies cry like little girls. Come on, guys; show some backbone and demonstrate some faithfulness!!

Oh yeah, I realize, I’m just like the Israelites. I forget about talking to God when I get busy; secretly wish some people would hurry up and get what’s coming to them—preferably in public so I can watch; and routinely avoid the homeless people on the sidewalk. (And yes, those things bother me, and I’m not proud to admit them.) So I don’t really deserve His love either.

But He gives it anyway, over and over again. And I love that about Him. I hope you see reminders His love for you today. Because He does love you, more than you can even imagine.