“The Lord says, ‘I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you’” (Psalm 32:8, NLT).

In 2004 the pilot of small, single engine airplane was flying over an outdoor park in Colorado. You see, his friends were on the ground waving at him and he wanted to make sure that they could see him. So, he circled his plane around the area three or four times and rocked his wings as if to wave.

The only problem is that FAA regulations require that a pilot fly at 1,000 above the ground where there is property or people. This pilot, however, was hot shotting about 150-feet off the ground. Dangerously low!

Federal pilot guidelines are in place to help all pilots. They are written to keep pilots safe from themselves, safe from other pilots, and to keep those on the ground safe, as well.

Our relationship with God is very much the same way. He gives us guidelines to live by. But sometimes we get to thinking that His guidelines don’t allow us the freedom to be who we are. So, while we want to be Godly pilots, we also want to have the freedom to fly anyway or anywhere we choose. But where does that get us?

The pilot over the park had just turned to leave the area where his friends were waving. He banked to the left and proceeded directly into a web of high voltage power lines. This pilot, who had wanted to fly on the fringe of the rules, probably had time to see his error, but it was too late to correct his path. He did not make it.

God has given us wonderful guidelines to keep us on a path that He has chosen especially for you and for me. Yet, He has given us the freedom to veer off the path if we so choose, but like the errant pilot, there can be dire consequences when we seek a path outside of God’s guidance.

The “freedom to choose” is a powerful gift. Used wisely, according to God’s will, it can lead to the wondrous riches that God has planned for us all along.

David McCall

Executive Pastor