Last evening I needed to kill a little time while my husband was at a racing meeting for the upcoming race season. I decided to visit the local airport in Fergus Falls, Minnesota while he was at his meeting. I have often thought about flying to the airport but haven’t flown there yet. When I am flying into a new airport I like to be as familiar with the surroundings as much as possible before I take off so I know what to expect upon landing.
One of the most comforting feelings as a pilot is to see the rotating beacon in the distance as you approach the airport. It lets you know you are almost there. It projects a welcoming glow of safety to pilots much like the glow of a lighthouse identifies danger to passing ships on the water.
Airports are not always easy to find if you are not familiar with the terrain and a lot of small airplanes like the Cessna I fly do not have GPS to identify my location. I have other means to determine where I am at any given time that I learned in my training. The rotating beacon confirms for me that I am on the correct path to my destination.
This morning my lesson for my Sunday School class of fourth – sixth graders was based on text from Matthew 5:14-16
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
I didn’t look at my lesson until this morning for my class today. I love how last evening’s photo and this morning’s lesson fit so well together. As a pilot it would be very difficult to find the airport without the beacon of light especially at night. We each need beacons in our lives to show us the safe path to travel. We also need to be beacons of light and safety for others.
This morning in class we discussed the fact that even though they are young there are still others that are observing them. Many have younger siblings or classmates that are watching them for direction. Young or old we can be a positive influence of light and safety into the lives of others.
Flying Gma's Blog 