Encouragement

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Larry Lilly's Letter Wednesday August 10, 2005

Like a butterfly with sore feet!!

That’s what I thought as I watched Discovery Commander Eileen Collins land the great shuttle on the runway at fabled Edwards Air Force Base.

I first heard the phrase ‘Butterfly with sore feet’ the first time I made a decent landing! From then on it was and is my goal on every landing to make it a ‘butterfly’ one.

The landing of course involved many hundreds of people, but Colonel Collins was the key person in the mix.

That SHE was the Commander is miraculous and a testimony to the true freedom each person living in the United States may enjoy, though not all take advantage of our golden opportunities.

Did you know that as a 9 year child Eileen was on food stamps due to the breakup of her parents, her dad a postal worker and her mother a clerk at the Elmira Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison at Elmira, New York? Concerning this Colonel Collins says, “The food stamps program did what it was designed to do, which is to help people get through get hard times in their life.” This info comes from Al Weisel in US Magazine, April 1999, p. 27. Colonel Collins is married to a pilot who works for Delta.

It could be that the pain of her early childhood was part of her preparation for this epic part of her life. When told that the Discovery was going to land at Edwards instead of the Kennedy Center she replied with this classic:

"We are ready for whatever we need to do,"

This attitude is always that of the winner, whether flying as an astronaut, a 152, or navigating through the mundane realities of daily living.

For the Christian, the complaining and whining attitude of many is out of place. Each painful tear that Christ permits to come our way, is preparation for the coming opportunities He plans to bring into our life.

Are we called upon to suffer? According to the scriptures, yes we are. Are we called to go through heartbreaking times? According to the scriptures, yes, we are.

As God ‘changes’ your plans, it is good to answer; “I am ready for whatever I need to do.”

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2005 Use with credit.

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