Tail spin

If you do a google search of the words “tail spin” (the title for today’s blog), it is humorous to me that what pops up is a description of the 1990 cartoon that is actually titled “Tale Spin” – at least it did so for me twice; maybe google knows of my affinity for late 80’s/ early 90’s cartoon shows.  While I admit there are random lines from that TV show that are still stuck in my head after all of these years, I was trying to get a definition of a tail spin.   I finally found it from The Oxford English Dictionary’s website (oed.com).  First of all, “A steep, uncontrolled spinning descent of an aircraft, following an engine stall.”  Secondly, a rapid and severe downturn or decline; a state of rapidly worsening chaos, panic, or loss of control.” 

Back to “Tale Spin” for a moment: one of the lines from an episode of that show is when Baloo the Bear – a pilot in this incarnation – is flying his plane, the Sea Duck.  Unfortunately, he and his passengers endure a tail spin.  Rebecca Cunningham (voiced by Sally Struthers), Baloo’s boss, instructs him to pull up, and the bear says, “Which way is up?”  They managed to get out of this danger, but I bring this up because this is how I have felt lately.  

Last time, I mentioned that I was in a painful situation.  Today I want to give more context.  You see, that day, March 7, was the first day that one of my loved ones was in the hospital.  As I stated, that was a day of stress, pain, and uncertainty.  From early Friday morning, the 7th, all the way to Monday night, the 10th, this person remained in the hospital – interestingly, it was the very same hospital that I was admitted to back in 2023.  That’s why I say it feels like I’ve been in a complete tail spin, unable to tell which way is up.  Or, as the second half of that Oxford English dictionary defined it, “a state of rapidly worsening chaos, panic, or loss of control.” 

While, thankfully, the immediate crisis is over – my loved one is out of the hospital – this saga is still not completely over yet even now.  So I’m hesitant to share more about it until the dust has fully settled.  However, only now does it feel like my equilibrium is normalized enough to feel like bringing this up at all.

In this midst of this, I found myself resonating with the words of Peter in John 6.  Jesus had given hard, blunt truth in that chapter and the text says many of His followers stopped following Him (John 6:66).  And Jesus asks His twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”  Now don’t get the idea that Jesus is being insecure here.  He is asking this to give them a springboard, an opportunity to vocalize their faith in Him.  Peter does so; He replies, “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.”  In other words, “Where else are we going to go, Lord?” 

That’s a legitimate response.  Where else are we going to go?  Drink ourselves to oblivion with alcohol?  No.  How about endless days on the couch, completely addicted to playing video games?  Gorge ourselves with food?  Participate in illegitimate sexual encounters, and pay the inevitable consequences?  Like Peter, I’ve walked with Jesus long enough to know there really aren’t any other viable options out there.  I’ve discovered that life with Jesus is bumpy, but life without Jesus is an existence devoid of any hope, peace, or fulfillment.  

Let me conclude with this citation from Paul Asay.  In his book on Batman that he titled “God on the streets of Gotham” - a book I quoted from last time, in fact - Asay writes,

“Our faith doesn’t keep us from suffering.  It doesn’t save us from the anguish of losing a parent or child, the pain of losing a job or failing a class.  It doesn’t keep us from the real horrors that life can inflict on us…But faith can save us from the mortal blow, the fire that would otherwise consume us.  Our faith protects us when no one and nothing else can.”  Amen!  My faith in God has been my oxygen through all of this.  A little later on in that same chapter, Asay quotes this statement from an unknown source: “Finding God does not mean building a house in a land of no storms, but building a house that no storm can destroy.” 

God bless,

Kevin