Taking Flight

On a recent off season trip to the Outer Banks, Brian and I visited Kitty Hawk and the Wright Brothers' Museum. Flying is something most of us take for granted these days. Brian and I fly everywhere. We see an opportunity for travel, and it's only an airport and plane trip away. Years ago, before the Concorde was put to rest, a trip from New York to London took 3 and a half hours.



Looking back, it is amazing to think that it took humans thousands of years to fly...or did it? Leornardo Da Vinci's drawings and designs inlcuded gliders. Some speculate that he could have flown a bit, maybe a few feet, with one.



Either way, we know it took man a long time to fly. But only sixty years passed from the time the Wright brothers took flight, to the first space trip to the moon. By this time, the world had seen the Golden Age of flying. A beautiful luxury.



Today's flights are filled with hours of security, checks, fees, and very little luxury. The routine at the airport is just that: routine. It has become necessary, because we want to get from Point A to Point B, and we are grateful for the ability to do so. Those who traveled in years past had to deal with pirates, disease, long trips wondering if they'd even live to see their destination. But still the fact remains, the wonder of flight has lost some of its luster.



I still enjoy flying. I use it as an excuse to read, read, read. I know it means a vacation is upon me. However, I'm looking forward to the new heaven and new earth someday. By then, those that hope in the Lord will "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31 NIV Flying will once again regain it's luster.