Focus

Eighteen-year-old Brock Peters had the test of his life when he landed a single-engine plane near a two-lane highway in California's San Bernardino National Forest this week.

Peters, who earned his pilot's license just four months ago, was flying his grandmother and two cousins from Apple Valley Airport to Riverside Airport in a Piper PA-28 when he heard a boom and his engine lost power. 

"I can hear my grandma crying in the back," Peters said. "I'm like, 'I've got to tune her out, focus on what I need to do, and get this plane down safely and make sure everybody is OK.'"

Because of the terrain, Peters was unable to notify a nearby airport tower and had to land the single-engine plane on his own shortly before 10 a.m. Monday. He brought the plane down safely on a frontage road, and no one was injured.

As we step into the promises of 2023, how will we keep our focus on God's good plans for us rather than succumbing to the distractions of our circumstances and emotional burdens? Isaiah 43:18–19 says, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

Our hope should not be reliant on what we can see before us; instead our hope must be grounded in God's steadfast love and promises. When Jesus asks us to give up everything and follow Him, he means everything: our habits, our ambitions, our hurts, our weaknesses, our anxieties, our fears, our dreams, our hopes. 

If the engines fail and others are depending on you, what will your response be? Will you panic, as most of us likely would, or will you lean into the deep-set calm and peace of your faith?

Peace on your week,

Jennie