From my inbox...

A pastor had been on a long flight between church conferences. The first warning
of the approaching problems came when the sign on the airplane flashed on:
Fasten Your Seat Belts.
Then, after a while, a calm voice said, "We shall not be serving the beverages
at this time as we are expecting a little turbulence. Please be sure your seat
belt is fastened."

As the pastor looked around the aircraft, it became obviou s that many of the
passengers were becoming apprehensive.
Later, the voice on the intercom said, "We are so sorry that we are unable to
serve the meal at this time. The turbulence is still ahead of us."
And then the storm broke . . .

The ominous cracks of thunder could be heard even above the roar of the engines.
Lightning! Lit up the darkening skies, and within moments that great plane was
like a c ork tossed around on a celestial ocean. One moment the airplane was
lifted on terrific currents of air; the next, it dropped as if it were about to
crash.

The pastor confessed that he shared the discomfort and fear of those around him.
He said, "As I looked around the plane, I could see that nearly all the
passengers were upset and alarmed. Some were praying.
The future seemed ominous and many were wondering if they would make it through
the storm.

"Then, I suddenly saw a little girl. Apparently the storm meant nothing to her.
She had tucked her feet beneath her as she sat on her seat; she was reading a
book and every- thing within her small world was calm and orderly.

"Sometimes she closed her eyes, then she would read again; then she would
straighten her legs, but worry and fear were not in her world.
When the plane was being buffeted by the terrible storm when it lurched this way
and that, as it rose and fell with frightening severity, when all the adults
were scared half to death, that marvelous child was completely composed and
unafraid." The minister could hardly believe his eyes.

It was not surprising therefore, that when the plane finally reached its
destination and all the passengers were hurrying to disem-bark, our pastor
lingered to speak to the girl who m he had watched for such a long time.
Having commented about the storm and the behavior of the plane, he asked why she
had not been afraid.

The child replied, "Cause my Daddy's the pilot, and he's taking me home."

There are many kinds of storms that buffet us. Physical, mental, financial,
domestic, and many other storms can easily and quic kly darken our skies and
throw our plane into apparently uncontrollable movement. We have all known such
times, and let us be honest and confess, it is much easier to be at rest when
our feet are on the ground than when we are being tossed about a darkened sky.

Let us remember: Our Father is the Pilot. He is in control and taking us home.
Don't worry!

"Our God is an everlasting Rock"