Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2 KJV).

I shared the familiar hymn “I Feel Like Traveling On” in my last post. Today, I want to talk about our spiritual journey and how easily we can get off track.

The Power of One Degree

Several years ago, my brother shared the story The Power of One Degree Course Correction. The spiritual aspect of that story stuck with me. I want to share part of it here today. (You can find the article at tandemfinancial.co.uk.)

In 1979, a passenger jet with 257 people aboard left New Zealand for an aerial view of Antarctica. However, the pilots were unaware of a minor 2˚ error in the flight coordinates, which placed the plane 28 miles east of their intended route. As they approached their destination, the pilots descended to a lower altitude, giving the people a better view of the landscape. Both pilots were experienced, but neither one had made this flight before. They had no way of knowing the 2˚ error had placed them in the path of Mount Erebus, an active volcano. Unfortunately, everyone died in the plane crash.

In air navigation, there is a 1 in 60 rule. That means for every 1˚ a plane veers off course, it misses the destination by 1 mile for every 60 miles traveled. The farther you travel, the farther you are from your intended target.

One foot traveled with a 1˚ error will put you 0.2 inches from your destination. That may not seem like much. But you must remember the farther you travel, the farther you move away from your target. A trip around the equator with a 1˚ error will get you 500 miles off course. Whether it is 0.2 inches or 500 miles, 1˚ makes a difference when aiming for a target.

Why do I share this story? Because when traveling, we have a destination in mind and a roadmap to get us there. As children of God, heaven is our destination, and the Bible is our roadmap. It was—is given to help us remain on the right track. A slight miss or a significant miss is still a miss! And that takes me to my next point.

The Power of the Word

Have you seen the social media reels of people demonstrating how to use BPA-free snackle boxes when planning an outing? The plan is to pack a little bit of everything like cheese, olives, carrot sticks, fruits, nuts, and a treat. I thought about this new fad while pondering this post. We should pack good things to snack on too. But here’s the thing. The Bible isn’t a charcuterie board. We can’t arrange, rearrange, or choose just the “feel good stuff” if we want to grow into a healthy mature Christian. As with our physical diets, our spiritual diets much be balanced. Not every Scripture is easily swallowed. But all is given by the inspiration of God.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17 KJV). 

And that brings me to another point.

Read and search the Scriptures for yourself. Pray about everything.

As travelers, we must stay on guard and regularly check our coordinates to ensure we are not being led astray by others. Too, we must never “think” of ourselves as experts. We have never traveled this way before. Our coordinates must come from the Bible because we do not know what tomorrow will bring. We’re human, and we make mistakes. Thank goodness, the Lord knows how and where to lead us. Let us hold the “roadmap” before our face, adjust our coordinates when needed, pray constantly, look to the author and finisher of our faith, and keep traveling on.

Blessings on your travels!

Pictures courtesy of Dorothe and No-longer-here from pixabay.com