Tonight as I’m flying back from Dallas to Atlanta, I find myself in a place I’ve been before, but it’s been awhile – I’m in awe! Normally the cargo hold (economy class) of this American flight would be the last place I’d find myself awestruck. We are packed in like sardines, it’s nearing midnight, the flight is delayed, and all these businessmen sitting around me seem very grumpy. The lady sitting next to me has this huge tattoo of some man’s whole head tattooed on her upper arm, which happens to lean against me from time to time as she nods off. So it ends up that I’ve got this guy on her arm staring at me the entire time. It’s an interesting flight to say the least. During this 2hrs I would normally zone out and sleep or read, but this flight is different.
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bout 30 minutes into the flight something catches my attention from outside the window I’m leaning up against. The entire night sky lights up every 2 or 3 seconds. Lightning! I’ve never observed a lightning storm from 35,000 feet. It’s incredible!! For the next hour I’m completely captivated by what I see out my 9×15 inch window. I’m glued to the window filled with excitement as I watch bolts of lightning streak across the night sky.
Lightning is something I don’t understand. I’m sure I learned about it in 8th grade Earth Science class, but I have long since forgotten. Kids ask questions about everything. Tonight in seat 14F I feel like a kid with all these questions swimming around in my head. Why does lightning do that? What really makes up lightning? Why does that one look like that? 
This all results in finding myself in a place of awe and wonder.
My 2hr flight from Dallas to Atlanta at midnight was much more enjoyable tonight. And it wasn’t any less bumpy than usual. The people around me weren’t what made it so great. The diet coke didn’t taste any different. But on this flight, through a lot of electricity in the sky, I was reminded what wonder feels like.
I’ve discovered once again that life is much more enjoyable when we bring awe & wonder along with us on this journey. I want to constantly be surprised by these simple lessons God speaks to my heart. Thanks for the show tonight, God.
LOVE IT!! And, I love you too. I am so glad you got a little time at home to be with the family. I Know you loved being with your niece. Thanks for the reminder to choose wonder & eyes that see His majesty.
See you soon.
You didn’t drink diet Coke.
Also, good post! Have you ever read the book “Dangerous Wonder”- a worthy read.
Love you! You are comng here soon too! WOO-HOO!!!!
I had a similar experience earlier this year flying home from Georgia. Instead of lightening though, it was massive cloud formations. There were literally “mountains” of clouds in so many layers and plataeus and peaks.
I remember trying to gauge how big they are based on the tiny silloette of another plane flying parallel to us. It seamed as though they could have been 10x the size of real mountains.
And how much do cloud mountains weigh? What do they feel like it you could reach out and touch them? So many questions came to mind as I craned my neck and twisted in my seat trying to watch as we flew in and out. I tried to take pictures, but it’s hard to catch the demensions of white.
Creation is truely captivating and awe inspiring when you find yourself in one of those moments when it just stands out against the mundane.
Thanks for sharing.