by Lori Nunnink
Confused. Perplexed. You wonder aloud, “Where am I going?” You pray it’s not where your feet once roamed.
You’re certain that when the day began you had a mapped-out destination.
Yet, you find yourself assembled among a lurid crowd of anonymous faces sheathed in their secret worlds.
Has the haze-filled morning air clouded your mind? The fumes obscured your thoughts?
Panic begins to overcome, just as the announcement interrupts the muffled surrounding chatter: “Fasten your belts and enjoy the ride.” The tone of the Commander’s Voice is steady, inviting.
As the aircraft begins to ascend, curiosity overcomes your confusion.
Outstretched wings invade your vision as you strain to find direction in the familiar roads below.
The busy streets become meandering rivers whose canyon walls futilely attempt to contain them.
The expansive city lights defiantly turn to borderless hues on a pallet of muted shapes.
As the ground becomes vaporous, the rugged terrain vanishes, left to exist in the far reaches of your mind.
The rolling hills have all but disappeared; the thundering mountain tops devoured by sheer distance.
From miles above the Earth the landscape becomes a velvet coating, whose very fabric reaches beyond the edges of eternity.
You’re surrounded by a boundless horizon; encased by an infinite sky.
Suspended between Heaven and Earth, you allow yourself a moment to breathe.
And in that moment, you choose.
With unbridled passion, you choose to become part of the voyage;
Governed by courage, a willing participant in the adventure,
Triumphant over suppression, you become a vessel on a timeless flight.
Though you inherently grasp the permanency of the past, you begin to yield as it gradually slips away.
Then slowly, graciously it becomes merely a memory that no longer defines your future.
You begin to feel the adrenaline of uncertainty as it elicits simultaneous contradictory sensations of fear and anticipation,
You savor the sweet nectar of the undefined road that lies ahead.
You hear the gentle Voice again, as It beckons you.
Your mind takes you to a place of contented resignation; a silent understanding.
You are no longer face-down in the arena, rather you stand boldly, courageously and confidently.
The hurdles ahead, you face with unrestricted confidence and strength.
It’s an enigmatic realization that this flight is taking you on a predetermined, intricately designed journey.
And you’re on your way to an unfamiliar, but welcomed destination, abundant with vast possibilities.
As the moment consumes you, you realize, it’s no longer just another ride – the kind you’ve been on before. Instead, you’ve embarked upon a voyage.
Though you’ve yet to know the road on which the journey will lead, you’re certain of where it will end.
You stand boldly, courageously and nobly, as an unbridled stallion faces the arena.
No authority rules you, but that of The Law.
You succumb not to the power of others, but to that of your Author alone.
Instinctively, you rest your head.
You close your eyes.
You relish the silence as you simply listen.
You choose to experience the ride – the path unknown to you, yet the destination is intricately designed.