The phrase, “This too shall pass” reminds us that no matter what may be happening to us at any given time, it is only temporary, whether good or bad. Things change. In fact the only thing that remains constant is change. “It came to pass” is personal as it describes my life and everything contained in it.
There is an entire Bible book dedicated to the topic of the transitory nature of life (Ecclesiastes). As life itself does to so many, the author drags us from one weary life situation to the next. But upon closer examination he subtly invites us to get wise to what is really going on.
“The Teacher” hints that, although we can’t see through the ‘smoke,’ mist, or clouds blocking our vision, an unseen friend who isn’t fooled by appearances at all stands ready at a moment’s notice to navigate us through the peril to safety. Some translations try to focus on our attempts to figure everything out on our own, or to navigate our own way through the smoke by referring to it as “meaningless” or “vanity.”
Like you, I’m sure I’ve always done the best I could to vector through each life situation, given the most current data at the moment, and—there were times I encountered turbulence and other unfortunate consequences. But I understand things better now, and, without a doubt, I've improved with maturity and an abundance of instruction—simulator training as well as live situation hours in what pilots refer to as IFR.
When the weather changes, and/or the pilot cannot see with his or her eyes what is going on around him/her, they must navigate under Instrument Flying Rules, or IFR. They must NOT rely on their own sight or sense of direction. That would surly bring disaster. They must trust the instrument to ‘see’ for them.
On clear, sunny, calm days, they usually fly VFR (Visual Flying Rules). Oh, I've done plenty of that, and it can lull one into dropping our guard, our vigilance. To the inexperienced, and the child, everything is VFR. It is unwise to fly VFR in life very long, if at all!
Trouble for me arrived in times when life became more complicated than I was aware. I convinced myself I could see everything going on around me. If I just tried harder I could handle everything without assistance. I never imagined I could be blind-sided by obstacles—like other pilot 'wannabees' who had bad intentions toward me. Or 'weather' that could become suddenly dangerous and, at times the plane sounded like it was coming apart.
I focused on the smoke and loud noises. They seemed real! And more than once I found myself paralyzed with fear trying to navigate through strange situations without assistance. Sometimes I succeeded; but other times I did some damage. And the turbulence made me sick! A couple of times I did crash.
Only God knows how I survived. An unseen force piloted me to safety.
Life can present us with situations no one could imagine. How could we know what to do when we have no idea what to think or do next?
Fly IFR. Don't trust your own judgements anymore. The smoke was there so I would learn to rely on something/someone wiser and more knowledgeable than me. And I must maintain that attitude going forward. Here’s the secret technique I've learned:
I’ll fly on. The "instruments" will direct me away from peril en route to the next planned destinations through life. I may miss friends because my course was altered. But they will always be my friends, I will see them again, and it never hurts to make new friends. Truth is, I was never supposed to stay in one place forever here.
With each instance of coming-to-pass, I've discovered I am less and less intimidated by the 'smoke' of this life. And I’m seeing better these days—with help from the Unseen One— my ‘instrument’ who guides me perfectly through every situation. Does this sound like double talk? Too fantastic to be true?
The best instructor and mentor I ever had shared with me an ancient riddle which may be of interest to you as well. The wisdom we receive from the pursuit of the answer will set us on course for smooth cruising. Learn what the riddle means and soar with confidence from now until you land at your final destination.
“We fix our eyes not on what we can see, but what is unseen. What we see is temporary; but what is unseen is eternal.” (IICOR4:8)
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