Until recently I had never flown in a helicopter. It’s something I had always wanted to do, but every time I thought about it the idea of taking out a small mortgage to do so put me off. There was also a degree of fear. Planes have wings and motors and look like their supposed to be in the sky. Helicopters have large rotating blades, complicated gearboxes, a little prop at the back and don’t look like they glide too well - hence my fear.
I know two pilots well. One fly’s 737’s, the other large helicopters. I’ll give you two guesses as to which one has crashed more than the other, but you’ll only need one.
This week my helicopter friend texted me to say he had just crashed on one of the mountain ranges in Papua New Guinea. He was ok apart from sore ribs and a headache. However, he was stuck in worsening weather in the middle of nowhere waiting to be rescued. Throughout that day I had a conversation by phone and text. By mid afternoon he had stopped responding. The silence was deafening.
There are many things that go through your mind when someone is in trouble and then all contact is lost. Is he unconscious? Were his injuries worse than expected? Has he been eaten by something or someone? Or has his cell phone just run out of power?
We have two responses to these situation - pessimism or optimism. Some would say it’s merely being realistic versus unrealistic; trouble is trouble so we should be worried. But what does worry achieve?
Some people are born worriers, yet most of us are afflicted by it from time to time. Worry is a disease of the mind. It achieves little and contributes almost nothing to any situation. I wonder if the act of worrying is a kind of psychological participation in an event that we have no control over, or refuse to address?
The problem with worrying is that it tends to incapacitate us. Rather than getting on with other equally important things in life we end up obsessing. So what do we do?
The Bible says, “Do not worry about anything....”. On it’s own it’s a somewhat unhelpful command; worrying is obviously a human trait. It’s the bit that follows the command that makes all the difference: “...but with prayer and petition present your requests to God and the peace of God, which passes all understanding will guard you hearts and minds.” The opposite of worry is a peaceful heart. It’s what most people want because we live and enjoy life more fully.
The promise of peace only comes after the command to pray. I have to say, it works. I have found that prayer not only results in peace through troubling times, it also changes my view of any situation.
The Bishop of Christchurch recently said to a group of clergy, “20 minutes of prayer and scripture everyday will transform your life”. She’s right. It will change yours too.
Digby Wilkinson 2009