What I learned from Planes

I love watching kiddies films, they make so much sense in comparison to the adult films which are all blood, guts and gore. Anyhow tonight my hubby and I got out the kiddies movie called “Planes.” It was really enjoyable. While watching the movie I learned a few things which I want to share with you because part of the journey in this life is the continuous pursuit of finding purpose. I have met so many people in my life and most have sat sometimes with discouragement, wondering about their purpose and the dreams they have inside. So here is what I learned from this movie.

-          Purpose. I learned that most of us have dreams that are with us from a young age, these dreams make us alive but we begin to lose hope in our dreams as we get older. People tell us we cannot do it, we weren’t made for that, you aren’t smart enough or you aren’t fast enough. Why is it that people, teachers, parents, peers and society often seek to destroy our dreams instead of encouraging us to pursue them? I have lost count of the number of times I heard someone tell me how hard it is to be a writer. However, I want to encourage you to never give up on your dreams. I personally believe that the things we love as children are the things we were often created for. I have been through times in my life where I lost hope in my dreams, today I really do try hold on to the things I dream of even when its tough.

-          Self belief. In this movie tonight the little plane who is actually a crop duster, dreams about being a racing plane. He knows of a navy plane who lives in the same town, eventually this navy plane agrees to train the duster. While training the navy plan tells Dusty of all these war stories which later on in the movie, turn out to be untrue. Dusty is in first place in his race but because of this shocking news he just “loses it.” I realised that Dusty believed in Skip so much that under his guidance Dusty knew he could win. When he finally found out the truth about Skips past, he doubted everything and suddenly found himself beat up and in last place. I realised that sometimes we hang on to the encouragement or help from someone else and it gives us hope. Truth is that it was not Skips experience which helped Dusty to win, it was Dusty’s belief which helped him to succeed. We often place too much hope in other people’s opinions of ourselves and our own abilities then we actually do in our own God given abilities. We have to learn to value ourselves as God sees us, because He sees us as valuable beyond belief. So much so that He went to the Cross for both you and I, that fact alone shares with us the unlimited extent of God’s love for us and hope in us.

-          Fear. The crop plane who wants to be an amazing racer is actually afraid of heights. Imagine a plane afraid of heights. Which is exactly what faces us in our lives. I too have had to acknowledge this in myself, fear. Some of us are called to speak in public but we fear speaking in front of people, some are called to write but we fear rejection, no one will listen to what we say. We fear failure, pain, rejection, abandonment and our fears are very real and we cannot deny them or imagine them away. In the movie Dusty was placed in the actual situation where he had to choose between facing his fear or allowing a horrible, cheating plane to win the race. It was a split second decision which Dusty had to make, but he had to make it nonetheless. Our fears are real however they are not unconquerable. Fear is something which God can heal and can deal with; we have to allow ourselves the freedom to lay our fears down at the feet of Yeshua. Our fears will stop us from moving forward if we don’t allow God to help us overcome them. Take courage, they are not eternal, rather our fears are momentary and we have within us the capability to overcome them. The Holy Spirit is more than able to give us victory and healing in any fear and any area of doubt.

-          Loving Others. Throughout the movie, Dusty is just the kind of plane who believes in helping others and being a plane of integrity. Finally when Dusty is smashed up and unable to finish the race the other planes (who are actually competing against him!) give him brand new parts, these parts turn him in to a real super crop plane. Loving our neighbours as ourselves is one of Gods commandments; we should learn to be people of integrity behind closed doors and in front of others. You will never know how many lives you touch daily just by being a person who values other people.

-          Mentors. People do not have perfect lives or perfect stories. Sometimes we believe in people, particularly our mentors or our leaders and they may let us down. However the value of a mentor cannot be weighed, honour and value those who teach you, who love you and who invest in you, this is Father’s way. You will also inevitably end up teaching your mentor so much and encouraging him or her as you grow in your own walk. Mentors and those who love us by helping us in our walk, are so valuable and I thank Yahweh for them.

-          True friends. True friends believe in each other and don’t give up on one another. In the movie Dusty had some really true friends who believed in him emphatically. No matter how big a friends dream is, if it’s a dream Father has placed in their heart then believe in them. Good friends who believe in Messiah are valuable in this walk, may you be a good friend to those Father has placed in your life and may you be blessed to have friends on your side who likewise believe in you!

Tonight if you stand in the trenches of life, with doubt on your sleeve and a heavy heart, I want to tell you that I am in the trenches too but you will prevail because Yeshua is right beside you. Our dreams are not too big or too small to be meaningful and life-giving. Beloved, you are truly here for a purpose even if you do not know what it is yet but we are all here for unique purposes. Don’t give up! I pray Fathers richest blessing of love and hope over you tonight and I pray that His unending love will flow in to your heart and that discouragement will be replaced by courage and hopelessness will be replaced by hope. You are valuable just as you are and father values you so much that He crossed heaven to come buy you back! There is no need for guilt or shame; He paid it all willingly to set you free if you will only believe.
I Bless you today with joy and peace in the name of Yeshua the Messiah.