Soul Food: “All Clear for Landing – Welcome Home!” by Katie Wilson
All Clear for Landing-Welcome Home
Author~ Katie Wilson
Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.(Proverbs 21:9)
What would drive a man to the corner of the roof?
Have you ever regretted a hurried, irritable, or distracted “good-bye” or “welcome home?”
Have you ever greeted your husband with complaints before a kiss, a garbage bag before a hug, or sarcasm before “sweet nothings,” forgetting your best friend just joined you on the front lines, not stepped in as your enemy?
I now see what would drive a man to a roof corner.
I recall a typical weekday morning several years ago. I was pregnant with our 3rd child, “full-figured” and sporting flannel PJs.
Our 5-year-old and 20 month old were darting around the house and my husband was showered, shaved, packed and ready to fly out. He headed for the door with one on his leg and one in the air and proceeded to tell the small people:
“Momma’s gonna build a fort.”
I had not even had a cup of coffee!
Needless to say, the flannel “sasquatch” didn’t give a snuggly hug good-bye to her “travelin’ man.”
“All clear for landing” is a cherished statement in the life of wife of a “travelin’ man”; so, why would we sabotage the coveted “clear landing” with a “dark, short, bumpy, cluttered or curvy runway?”
The enemy of our soul wants to devour our families, thus leading us to self-sabotage. He is about killing potential; therefore, he capitalizes on separating spouses, destroying children, distracting families with busyness or paralyzing people into believing they are purposeless.
BUT we can and we will fight back with God’s Word, The Sword of the Spirit.
What makes a runway “all clear for landing?”
What makes a “home a place where you are welcome?”
Scripture reveals answers.
1 Corinthians 13:3-7 MSG (Bold print)
1) Visible runway: Love always looks for the best and takes pleasure in the flowering of truth.
2) Long Runway: Love puts up with anything, never gives up, trusts God always, never looks back and keeps going to the end.
3) Level runway: Love doesn’t fly off the handle, force itself on others or strut.
4) Clear runway: Love doesn’t revel when others grovel and doesn’t have a swelled head.
5) Straight runway: Love isn’t always “me first,” cares more for others than for self, doesn’t want what it doesn’t have and doesn’t keep score of the sins of others.
Where were you and what were you doing on September 11, 2001?
I was at home with my 1-year-old when I saw the second plane fly into the Twin Towers. Shock and heartbreak drove a nation to its knees.
My husband was not traveling that day, but many were. Four planes never heard “all clear for landing” and countless loved ones never said “welcome home” that tragic day.
“Closer To Love” by Mat Kearney states a profound truth:
“I guess we’re all one phone call from our knees…”
BUT God’s WORD is TRUTH and HE says, “Beauty comes from ashes.”
I have seen the pain up-close and personally in the lives of those who did lose loved ones September 11, 2001, but I have also seen the beauty rising up out of what the enemy meant to destroy. God is still in the business of bringing HIS glorious good from ashes!
Coming from someone who lost her own father, out of the blue, at 21 years of age, I can tell you firsthand that those who’ve lost loved ones unexpectedly would say:
**Live 1 Corinthians 13 ALL THE TIME!
**Hug tightly, kiss long, forgive quickly, laugh a lot, let your heart-break with the broken-hearted and celebrate with those rejoicing.
**Don’t look back, unless the memory was sweet or a God-glorifying lesson was learned.
**Live fully in the present, while dreaming enormous God dreams for the future.
**Keep praying “all clear for landing” and never take “welcome home” for granted.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, Thank you for bringing good from things that ARE NOT GOOD! You see the end from the beginning. You see the finished tapestry from the beautiful finished front, while we are still threading on the messy other side. We hold to your promises and we are fixing our eyes on YOU! When we set our gaze on Glory, Sweet Jesus, we see glimpses in your eyes of what YOU are seeing on the perfect other side and IT IS GOOD! (That could be the biggest understatement ever!) Help us to learn from our past, enjoy and Kingdom Build in our present and future focus with our compass set as HEAVEN-TRUE NORTH!
In the Jesus Precious Name
Amen
Reflection Questions:
Upon self-evaluation, do we see areas the enemy has crept in through busyness, impatience, irritability, self-pity etc…? What are we going to do in retaliation to an enemy attack?
Upon further review, who could we bless with a heart-felt apology, not making excuses but simply “making up”? (**The enemy hates it when we see his schemes, expose them and then move forward more humble and loving, stronger and eternally focused!)
Treasure Hunt:
“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4)
“Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.” (Ephesians 6:13-18The Message (MSG))
Faith In Action:
This weeks “Faith in Action ” is pretty specific. If you have not read The Screwtape Letters By C.S. Lewis please consider reading it now. If you have, please consider reading it again with fresh eyes.
C.S. Lewis exposes the enemy of our soul and his schemes in such a way that everyone will see how satan has been trying to manipulate them from the very beginning. Just like GOD has a plan for our lives, so does the enemy. As followers of Christ, we know we are fighting FROM THE VICTORY SEAT because “IT IS FINISHED”, but it can still feel very heavy while in the thick of the fight!
C.S. Lewis cleverly shines THE LIGHT on the enemies sneaky little hiding places, through his riveting writing in “The Screwtape Letters”. When the enemy is exposed, we know exactly where to aim with the one weapon, the only weapon, that works-The Sword of the Spirit-GOD’S WORD!
About the Author:
Katie Wilson
Katie W. is a Memphis born, messy masterpiece, who is confident in her Creator! After graduating from Vanderbilt, she married her college sweetheart and was Huntsville bound! 20+years and 3 children later, Katie spends her moments amazed by grace, which leads to “freedom writing”, God-dependent parenting, Scripture gold-digging, “opening her mouth wide and letting God fill it”(Psalm 81:10), and running her race with perseverance, while podcasting and posting her Jesus take-a-ways. Katie serves on staff at Lincoln Village Ministries and is an active member at Church of the Highlands. She loves the ministry of reconciliation and how it reflects the heart of God and is passionate about seeing the next generation hunger and thirst for THAT JESUS! Connect with Katie on her blog at Psalm8110.com
One Comment
So good, So true. Thanks, friend.