Fasten Your Seatbelt

CEBU, Philippines - I’m not afraid to fly. But I’m afraid to fly with passengers who have cursed demeanours. I dream of flying with an airline that puts God at the center of the journey.

I don’t know why it is easier for airlines to give an in-flight safety demonstration than it is to say a prayer when the plane prepares for take-off or in the critical moments of landing. I still have to see an airline in this country that appreciates the God of the Heavens and imbibes pilots, crew and airline ground personnel with some sense of conviction of being nearer their Maker.

These days, Filipinos trivialize airline safety. There is no sense of decency among airline passengers. They go to the airport or ride planes as though they are on the beach, at a striptease bar or in their bedrooms. Though women know that riding airplanes entails several layers of inspections, they insist on wearing high-heeled clogs despite the inconvenience of having to take these off during final checking, before going to the pre-departure area. There are women who wear shorts and skimpy mini-skirts knowing fully well the wind is bound to blow these to their faces, or their fannies show when stepping on stairs. They have no sense of respect to the airline or the blushing ground personnel and security crew.

Then there are people who engage in long, loud chats on their cellphones, it embarrasses you that you can tell with your eyes closed and your ears shot where they will be fetched or what they had been doing the night before or in the last several days. Then there are people who curse when flights are delayed, just as there are people who curse when the flight arrives ahead of estimated time.

The indecency is also among the airline and airline crew. When you board the aircraft, there is loud, discordant music on the consoles while in other airlines, the crew engages passengers to party games on board.

One of the reasons why airfare has increased through the years is the enhancement of airline safety resulting from improved aircraft design, sophisticated engineering and maintenance, the evolution of navigation aids and rigid safety protocols and procedures. So much ado is done for airline security including the prohibition of umbrellas and lotion bottles in checked-in luggage, going through body scanners and manual pat downs. In contrast, there is no preparation of the soul in eternity in unlikely events that can take place during a journey.

A little prayer could at least give God some appreciation and gratitude for having gifted man to subdue space with the invention of airplanes and navigational equipment. But, airline passengers instead profane God with wearing indecent outfit during flight, trivialize in-flight safety demonstration with the devil’s music and turn flying into a kiddie party game.

 Unlisted Passengers.

Satan comes and goes and rides on airplanes, goes through security checks at the airport without being intercepted and sometimes causes delays in flights. On the souls where Satan dwells, he is delighted and excited that he can ride the airplane and tamper with navigational equipment if he wants to. He can strike the aircraft with lightning or rain volcanic ash on engines, propellers and cockpit windows.

There is one big reason why God preserves an airline and the safety of its flight. It is because there are Christians onboard. There are Christian missionaries onboard whom God has to deliver safely and securely to their mission work. There are Christians onboard who are praying for the salvation of the lost and Satan-filled souls in skimpy, indecent outfits. There are Christians onboard who are praying and are in deep communion with the God of the Heavens as they look out of their windows. There are Christians onboard who thank God for blessing the lives of the pilots and flight crew. There are Christians onboard whom God paid the fare so that these anointed can preach God’s Word, magnify His work and enlarge His territory in some foreign land or hostile territory.

What keeps a passenger safe while on flight is not the buckle of a fastened seatbelt. It is the security of the prayer and pleasing testimony of Christians near to God and whom God specially booked on that flight. (FREEMAN)