Walking the Wing

For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. (Romans 12:4-13 ESV).

I suppose it’s hard “to see the forest because of the trees” sometimes. Those who have positions of leadership sometimes fail to realize the importance of those who surround and support them. It is a subtle form of pride and arrogance that can become very destructive in our lives. The following story came from a good friend of mine as we visited about a situation he has seen develop in his church staff and provides the springboard for our devotional thought today.

Seems that there was a stunt pilot who performed at a lot of air shows. After several years he was in high demand. Crowds got larger and larger when they knew that this stunt pilot would be performing. They would cheer and encourage him as he would land and walk through the crowd. Several people began to tell him, "You are so good, you really need to get a bigger airplane. With that airplane you can do bigger performances and MORE people will come to see what you can do." After hearing this for awhile, he decided to do just that.

The stunt pilot purchased a 747. He beefed up the structure and took it to his first air show. The crowd was the largest ever. They cheered stronger than ever. He took that 747 up into the air and did barrel rolls, flips and everything that he had done with his smaller plane. After 30 minutes of this spectacular performance he landed the 747 and taxied to the front of the crowd. The steps we rolled up, the door opened and out stepped the pilot. Standing at the top of those stairs high above the audience he waved to a crowd that could not contain their joy after what they had seen. All eyes were focused on the happy pilot proudly waving to the exuberant crowd when a little door in the tail of the 747 opened. Out came the 15-crew members shaking, exhausted, wet from sweat and barely able to walk!

The point to this is you may be the guy in the front that gets to “look good,” but there are others that work sometimes to the point of long term illness behind the scenes to help you succeed. Remember that we are all part of the team, whether in your work or at church. As you walk the wings, remember those flying the plane!