Dad as Copilot

We took our first ride in a small plane recently.  Alaska is well known for their large number of private pilots, due to the fact that much of Alaska is not reachable by car.  Many of these planes are float planes designed to land on water, and we felt this may be one of our rare chances to get to ride in one.  Thus we took a float plane ride to get an aerial view of Misty Fjord’s National Monument.  

I have known since the beginning of our relationship that my husband has always wanted to fly a plane.  He had childhood dreams of flying fighter jets, yet learned early on that his lack of perfect vision would make this dream impossible.  He had never had the chance to go in a small plane prior to now, and there is no question that he enojoyed our flight the most.  On the last leg of the flight he sat up front next to the pilot, and got the chance to listen to the air traffic control banter and watch the pilot adjust the nobs and dials.  My kids and I thought the flight was kind of neat, yet my husband thought it was amazing.  I have no doubt he would regard it as one of the biggest highlights of our two week trip to Alaska. 

What should we make of these childhood dreams that never get realized?  While my husband may have the chance to take private pilot lessons at some point in the future, the fighter pilot dream is out of reach.  Many of us may have childhood dreams that will never be realized.  Sometimes when we get to adulthood we realize that our initial dreams were silly and don’t miss them much, yet some of us still may have an inner longing for something beyond what we are doing now.  The Apostle Paul told us his secret to dealing with such things in Philippians 4:12 when he said “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation...”

Another secret is submission.  We are where we are because God wills us to be there.  We submit to His plan, not ours.  We might have unrealized dreams of being a rock star, yet maybe we can sing worship music in church, or teach a children’s choir.  We might have unrealized dreams of being a superhero, yet maybe we can be a hero to our kids, or help others in a critical time of need.  We might have unrealized dreams of being a fighter pilot, yet maybe we can lead in other ways, in other kinds of battles.  When I think of my husband, he leads our family mightily, with precision and strength that far surpasses anything that can be registered in a flight plan. His fighter pilot dream, although unrealized, helped to form him into the wonderful husband and father he is today.

What are you doing with your childhood dreams?  How are you adapting these interests to your life today?  Are you using contentment and submission to open yourself up for use by God for His purposes?  If we faithfully assign these childhood-derived interests and talents for use in God’s plan we might just find that these “silly” childhood fantasies were not so silly after all.