Wings

"If God had intended that man should fly,
he would have given him wings."
- George W. Melville, Chief engineer of the U.S. Navy (c. 1900)

For thousands of years human flight was but a dream -- the very definition of the impossible. But two young men set the impossible as their goal and forever changed the world.

A flying toy, a gift from their father, sparked a lifelong interest. They worked in a bicycle shop but pursued flight as a hobby. Along the way, the hobby became a passion that relentlessly drove them to try new things, to test established wisdom, to continually strive harder and reach further.

It was not smooth sailing. They built seven flying machines and crashed each more than once. Frustration and disappointment were as much a part of the process as the excitement of discovery.

After each failure, they rebuilt and modified their efforts, continually applying what they had learned. Like every great success, manned flight was the result of false starts, dead ends, disappointments and doubts, but most importantly determined perseverance and unwavering belief.

On December 17, 1903, in spite of dangerous gusts of wind and below freezing temperatures, they took a desperate gamble. If they wanted to be home by Christmas, they must put their belief in the impossible into action.

At 10:35 a.m., in a flight lasting only 12 seconds and covering just 120 feet, they did what men and women had only dreamed of doing for centuries... they flew. On the fourth attempt the plane landed 852 feet and 59 seconds from its starting point, snapping a support but otherwise undamaged. They achieved the impossible.

A monument in honor of "first flight," erected on November 19, 1932, reads "In commemoration of the conquest of the air by the brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright. Conceived by genius, achieved by dauntless resolution and unconquerable faith."

Like the Wright Brothers, it’s time to dream the impossible, to set your goals with dauntless resolution, to put into action an unconquerable faith in an all powerful God to achieve the impossible. When you do, you’ll discover that maybe God does intend that men should fly!

" 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
- Mark 9:23-24

Copyright 2005 by Ken Sapp