procedures and techniques

I was talking with a friend tonight about our military backgrounds.  While I only spent five years in the Navy, he completed a full career as a jet pilot in the Air Force.  I mentioned to my friend that, even if my sight had permitted, I probably wouldn't have chosen flying in the military.  With my "off the wall" creative side I'd be afraid of forgetting something important on a checklist and discover too late that I was out of fuel, or out of ammo or about 1000 miles from where I was supposed to be.  He explained that creativity isn't the number one thing about flying...it's following procedures.  There are certain steps that you just have to follow in a certain sequence.  There are just too many moving parts and too many opportunities for human error to preclude using a rigorous approach.  After all, your whole mission in flying is to defy gravity and you don't accomplish that easily.  On the other hand, he explained, once you have mastered the discipline of following procedures, there is room to develop techniques that hone your skills.  I suspect that these techniques may be as unique as your personality, experience and innate talent.  This reminded me that, with the Lord, there are also procedures and techniques.  There is one way to salvation and that is by bowing in faith to the Lord Jesus.  But there limitless 'techniques' in a sense because our spiritual gifts are as limitless as our Maker's creativity.  We can only overcome the gravity of our sin nature through the aerodynamic lift of grace, but once we are aloft we become freed to operate in more dimensions, more space and true freedom in ways we have been uniquely fashioned for.

 

Ephesians 4: ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. ⁷ But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. ⁸ Therefore He says: 

      " When He ascended on high,
      He led captivity captive,
      And gave gifts to men."

   

blessings (with thanks to J.B.),

Rob Smith