Plane Truth

John 5:20 – For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. (NIV)

When I was twelve years old, I ran away from home. I caused my parents a great deal of grief and dismay. When I returned in the wee small hours in the morning, I expected to be punished. Instead, my Mum and Dad embraced me. For the next couple of weeks, my Dad took me in to his work and showed me around the engineering factory where he was manager. At night time, we both worked on a project — the building of a small, wooden, red biplane.

The biplane was a replica of a drawing taken from one of my favourite comic books. My Dad was a superb draughtsman, and it fascinated me to watch him create a blueprint for the wings, fuselage, wheels, and propeller. He was putting a lot of time and effort into this project, more than he could really afford, because he was a very busy manager. By the end of the month, we finished the biplane and I proudly displayed it on my bedroom table. It was the first thing I saw each morning and the last thing I looked at each night.

By taking time to make the biplane, my Dad was showing me all that he did. He was also giving me all of his attentive love. Ever since then, I've loved model aircraft, and when I take some precious time to build one, it takes me back to those days when a troubled and insecure boy found strength and love in his father's patience, forgiveness, and care.

No matter where we are today, what we are experiencing, or whatever we may have to endure, our heavenly Father embraces and abides with us, showing us His love through all that He does.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You lead us to Your Father in heaven, who offers us peace of mind, strength for our hearts, and blessings to our souls. When we are lost, Your Father finds us. When we are insecure, Your Father protects us. We thank You for sharing Your Father with us and for the gift of His amazing love, which promises us of greater things to come. In Your holy name, we pray. Amen.