Holding Pattern: Mary Winslow
Happy, happy Thursday!
Today a special person is guest blogging for me. Mary Glenn was my Makeup professor in school (part of my studies dealt with theatre and the performing arts), and then she was my Costume History & Design professor, and then she became Mary Winslow (shout-out to her husband Lee who is my birthday buddy!!). Mary is a seriously cool and hysterical gal and I get along quite well with her & Lee because old people are our spirit animals. Indeed, several late nights (8pm) have been spent playing Farkel or Dominos or the like.
Anyway, her passion for Jesus is unmistakable, as is her commitment to caring for others. Thank you, Mary, for taking the time to whip something up for my blog, and also for investing in me. You & Lee are rockstars and I have such respect for the two of you.
I know you all will enjoy reading this as much as I have.
Josh
I have to give a BIG ‘thanks’ to Josh Watts for allowing me to guest post. I don’t have my own blog, unless you count my diary, that I haphazardly decided to name Blog, so this is new to me.
I don’t like to fly. In fact, I hate it. I take high doses of medication just to step foot in the airport. I would rather drive for days to get to my destination than get on a plane and arrive in a matter of hours.
However, for many years, my job required that I fly… as in mandatory. I dread every part of the flight: checking the bags, boarding the plane, the flight crash instructions (why does NO ONE ever pay attention?), take off, the middle of the flight where I whisper the lyrics to “Jesus Take the Wheel,” when the beverage cart is forced down the tiny center aisle, the “mild” turbulence, and yes, landing… until of course, the plane actually touches down, because well, that’s awesome.
So, when I’ve made it through all of the parts of the flight and I’m just minutes away from the plane actually touching down, and I hear the pilot say, “We’ve been informed that we need to enter a holding pattern,” I COMPLETELY freak out.
The primary use of a holding pattern (as I understand it) is to delay an aircraft that has arrived at a destination but cannot land yet because of traffic congestion, poor weather, or runway unavailability.
In my own life, I recently experienced my own holding pattern of sorts. I didn’t ask for it. I wasn’t expecting it. I was not a fan. I was in a stressful situation, and although I wasn’t circling thousands of feet above the ground, I might as well have been. Many days, I found myself freaked out, filled with anxiety, depressed, ridiculously weepy, and on occasion, numb, all while wondering when the waiting would be over and I’d finally arrive at my carefully planned-out destination.
Maybe your holding pattern is a military deployment, health issue, family conflict, dream delayed, or for some, forgotten. There is good news! Aircraft don’t stay in holding patterns forever and, although it felt like it at the time, my own holding pattern didn’t last forever either.
So, what did I learn? Well, I learned that God’s plan isn’t necessarily what I would work out for my own life and that His thoughts are far greater than my own (Isaiah 55:8-9). I learned to be completely dependent upon God. I learned that He met and continues to meet my every need. I learned that I have an amazing support system made up of family and friends. I also learned that it wouldn’t be the only time in my life to experience such a season.
We never ask for them, but sometimes the holding patterns in our lives are needed. Because as uncomfortable as they are, it’s these seasons where our faith not only grows, but also is strengthened.
Mary