In the Flesh or Spirit?

In 2011 I decided to pursue a new career; something more adventurous and exciting – so I filled out an application to become a flight attendant!

The airline notified me that I was picked along with 20 other applicants; but I had to go through 6 weeks of class and the “hangar” (a large metal building used to store air crafts) two days a week around 2 or 3 am. All potential flight attendants had to wear black skirts and blazers if you were a woman; with a white blouse, pantyhose, and black heels no higher than 3 inches – If you were a man, a black suit, white shirt and black dress shoes. (During the hangar, you could wear street clothes) Once you pass the class, you received one uniform courtesy of the company. If you needed additional ones, you purchased them yourselves. 

Not knowing what was expected, it devastated me, during the hangar, of what little room we had to sit and stand. So imagine pretending your class mates are the passengers and you are serving them drinks and a snack. Maneuvering the cart down the tiny isle back and forth took skill. Everything on the commuter planes was uncomfortably small.  

Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, ⁸ “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, ⁹ and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. ¹⁰ But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. Luke 14:7-10 ESV

Talk about thinking more highly of myself than I ought to! (Romans 12:3) I quickly found out that all flight attendants start out at the bottom and work their way up; and it doesn’t happen as quickly as you would like. Beginners might not get called but once or twice a month; so the experience needed to advance, in some instances, takes commitment and determination. However, many stick it out and prevail; and some get weary and quit.

Each week we had a written test and you had to receive a 90 and above to continue the classes. I passed the first five weeks of test with a 95 or better; whereas, the last test I received an 88. You could only retake the test once before you were let go. Guess what? I missed the exact same answers the second time! Yep! After seeing the film on turbulence, over 90% of the injuries received are flight attendants. That's where I lost all confidence and concentration.

It didn't take me long to realize this was not the career for me! I pursued this egotistically and felt I had the credentials needed to become a flight attendant; and I did, but I leaped before I looked. The bumps and bruises I received after the fact, could have been avoided, if I would have prayed about it first!

Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

²¹ “What is it you want?” he asked.

She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

²² “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

“We can,” they answered.

²³ Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

²⁴ When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. ²⁵ Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ²⁶ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:20-28 NIV