Life is like a plane ride.  Strangers here.  There and there.  And sitting in my own seat, I’m not wanting to talk to anyone.  Well, perhaps with my family.  But only if I can rest.

Now imagine with me.  A big-hearted person sits next to me.  Engages with me in true conversation.  Listening.  Eager to learn.  To understand.

Then more conversation breaks out.  Neighbors (in the true sense of “nigh-unto-me”) begin to know neighbors.  And before long, the whole plane is lit up with the surge of life stories and concern for the other.  Even those with little outwardly in common begin to appreciate “the other.”  In fact, as less “the other” and more “the same.”

This is our community.  And this is our choice.  Which passenger are you?  Are you like me?  Wanting to stick to yourself.  Dutiful to family.  Appreciating a little peace in life.  Or are you like the big-hearted person?  Engaged in community conversation.  Familiar with cultures.  Current with the news.

Either way, both individuals are too secular.  Too much of this age.  And here is why.

The most important story is not what is happening inside the plane, but what is happening outside the plane.  If the plane is going down, what will it matter whether we were the selfish passenger or the engaged passenger?  Both will be dead.  And all will be vanity.

Some of us pride ourselves on caring for our families.  Some of us pride ourselves on being involved in our community.  Some of us even pride ourselves on knowing the news well, even when we do little more than pass it along on social media.  But do we know the Real News well?  The revealed news.  The true story on what will happen to the plane and how those inside can arrive safely through the coming crash.  Even more, do we tell this revealed Real News to those around us?

In the end, if we speak more on the nightly news than on the good news, how can we complain of others being too secular?  Life is like a plane ride.