Who needs a parachute?

Posted on March 2, 2008
Filed Under life, opinion, today's church, truth

Two men on a plane are each given a parachute and told to put it on. We’ll call them Rich and Seymour.

Rich is told the parachute will improve his flight. He’s a bit skeptical at first, and can’t see how wearing a parachute could possibly improve his flight. But he decides to experiment, just to see if the claims are true. He quickly notices the extra weight on his shoulders and has difficulty sitting upright. However, he consoles himself knowing he was told that it would improve his flight, and gives it a little more time.

But then Rich notices that other passengers are laughing at him and he begins to feel a little humiliated. They continue, and soon he can’t stand it anymore. He slinks down, unstraps the parachute and throws it on the floor, disillusioned, bitter, and feeling like he was told an outright lie.

Seymour is also told to put a parachute on, but he’s told it’s because he’ll soon need to jump 25,000 feet out of the plane. He is very grateful and doesn’t notice the added weight, nor that he can’t sit upright. His mind is consumed with the thought of what would happen to him if he didn’t have that parachute!

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the “Christian life” parallel: The Parachute = Salvation.

Taking it further, Rich was “saved” by hearing about salvation’s rich benefits to him; presumably that he’d get to Heaven and God would bless him greatly while still on Earth. Seymour saw more, realizing that salvation kept him from certain spiritual death and was grateful for the safety. He continued in salvation, while the unimpressed and embarrassed Rich blew it off due to the hassle and lack of obvious reward.

What a cute story, huh? I suppose that it has some merit, but the reason I shared it with you is that it’s similar to the way today’s Christian Church reaches out to the lost. Either rope them in with promises of great spiritual wealth, or scare them silly with threats of spiritual death. Ostensibly, the better way between the two is Seymour’s way, because it lasts longer, and keeps more “Christians” in the pews over time.

However, there is an even stronger reason to use that parachute, and that is to please the parachute maker! It’s stupid in this analogy, because who would ever think to do such a thing?

And that’s the point! Both analogies get to the same motivating factor: What can the parachute do for me?

The real question should be: How can I thank the parachute MAKER?

So, the analogy falls apart, in my mind, because even though Seymour has a much better motive, it’s still a motive defined by selfish-desire… in this case, for his safety.

That’s one big problem with today’s Christianity in a nutshell. I call it “God as Vending Machine” Christianity… where God is looked at as Big Daddy, the supplier of treats. We pray, He gives us stuff. If we really pray hard, He should give us even more! Me. Me. ME. “I’ll love You BECAUSE You’ll do something for me.”

Instead, our approach should be, “I am dead and have no hope whatsoever. Yet, You have offered me life for nothing at all. How may I express my gratitude in a way that will please You the most?“

Or as my modified JFK quote goes (in a thick Boston accent) “Ask not what your God can do for you. Ask what you can do for your God!”

Everyone knows God can do anything. It is so easy for Him to give you anything and everything He wants to give you. So why not leave the giving up to Him, and focus on finding ways to love Him more. Deeper worship, more heart-felt praise, continuous thanksgiving… and the biggie: obedience to Him out of your love for Him.

Look at God from that perspective, and you’ll never even worry about the parachute… because you’ve fallen deeply in love with its Maker! The parachute is an awesome gift, but the Maker is the most wonderful Friend imaginable. Our Heavenly Father wants close, real relationships with his children - not badgering self-centered kids who simply want to know what presents He brought home for them today.

This is the beginning of Christian maturity; when our reason for wanting to die and go to Heaven is to be with our best Friend and Father, in order to more fully love Him - not just to escape Hell or see the golden streets.

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