Flyover Country

Nebraska Flyover Country

6" x 8"

Oil

The world contains famous places that people travel thousands of miles to see.  Places like Yellowstone National Park, the Rocky Mountains, and the Grand Canyon come to mind.  In the process of driving to these places, many think that the spaces in between are part of windshield time or "flyover country"...places to be endured until reaching the desired destination.  May I suggest that many overlooked sights wait to entice you to behold their inherent beauty .  It may require developing an appreciation for their attributes.The Irish poet William Butler Yeats wrote, "The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper."  

(watercolor sketch)

Life contains many instances of the small and unnoticed vs. the big and eye-catching. Sometimes one can be tempted to think that what they are doing is small and insignificant in contrast to highly praised accomplishments and recognized endeavors by others.  But Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer wrote, "With God there are no little people, there are no little places."  He wrote in his sermon of that title that "only one thing is important:  to be consecrated persons in God's place for us, at each moment.  Those who think of themselves as little people in little places, if committed to Christ and living under His Lordship in the whole of life, may, by God's grace, change the flow of our generation."  

Another instance of the small vs. the big can be found in the historic match-up between the giant Goliath and the shepherd boy David.  And compare their weaponry....Goliath's spear head weighed about 15 pounds vs. David's slingshot and 5 smooth creek stones.  The giant was highly offended at the size of his small opponent and taunted him. Yet moments later, one of the young shepherd's stones silenced the giant forever!  David clearly highlighted the fact that his success was done in the Lord's strength and didn't depend on inadequate armor.

Then move on to the incident of Christ feeding the crowd of 5,000 men plus women and children.  The disciples were distraught over being unable to deal with the logistics of the crowd's hunger.  But what provided the missing equation was a small boy's lunch of 5 barley loaves and 2 fish.  Even then the disciple Andrew scorned the apparent inadequacy of the boy's lunchbox in contrast with 5,000 plus people's enormous hunger.  The difference was  found in what happens to a boy's insufficient offering when placed in Christ's hands. That's when the miracle of "enoughness" occurs...enough that 12 baskets were full of leftovers after the feeding!

There are no flyover moments in life.  All of life is sacred and matters!  What happens in the seemingly insignificant and small segments gathers up into a legacy that can impact eternity and make a tremendous difference for many others!

Be inspired in this video of a great woman...Mother Teresa who believed that there were no flyover moments or flyover people in this world:   

Live bravely and beautifully!