The Captain’s Corner

Many steps are required in order for someone to become a pilot with a commercial airline. The pilot-to-be must obtain various licenses along the way: student pilot, private pilot, and commercial pilot as well as instrument rating for flying in bad weather and multi-engine rating for flying planes with more than one engine. Finally, with 1,500 hours of flying time, the pilot will earn the “PhD” of pilots’ licenses—that of the airline transport pilot. After acquiring the “ATP” license, the pilot now has the opportunity to be hired by the commercial airlines.

Once a pilot is employed by the airlines, there is an initial training time as well as recurrent training to help the pilot remain proficient. After all of this, there is an additional aspect of training that both begins and continues “out on the line.” This is what you might call “thinking training,” which a pilot (or captain) will give the copilot (or co-captain) while he or she is flying the plane.

Like a master training an apprentice, each captain will, by action and example, pass along the experience he or she has learned. Good copilots will remember these “tricks of the trade” that are passed along by those whose experience outweighs their own. In one of the industry favorites, Flying magazine, this is referred to as an “I-learned-about-flying-from-that” moment! The characteristics embraced by each airline were taught, by example and experience, to the next generation of pilots. You could almost guess which airline had trained the pilot by the way he or she flew the plane.

In a similar manner, God has given believers His Word, which is profitable for knowing how to live the Christian life. (See 2 Timothy 3:16–17.) A new believer should desire the “sincere milk of the Word” to help him or her to grow spiritually. (See 1 Peter 2:2.) Additionally, God has given young believers the gift of more mature believers, whose responsibility it is to teach God’s wondrous works, power, and strength to this and future generations. (See Psalm 71:18.)

Older believers, both men and women, should share with younger believers how God guided and helped them along life’s way. You could say that these are “I-learned-about-God-from-this” teaching moments, as commanded in Scripture. (See Psalm 78:4–7.) Just as pilots share their experiences with those following in their steps, so we as believers must teach those who are watching us and who can learn from our firsthand experiences as recipients of God’s grace.

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Joe’s book, The Captain’s Corner: A 21-Day Devotional Book, is available on Amazon. Click here to learn more about the book and to order your copies.

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