Is Your Oxygen Mask Secure?

On my flight home from the Feast, I learned a lesson from the flight instructions. This lesson can sharpen our focus as we prepare for the spring festivals.

This year I celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles with my spiritual and physical family in the majestic Smoky Mountains (Pigeon Forge, Tennessee). It truly was the “best Feast ever.” The fall festival season is past, but there is already high anticipation for the spring festival season. On the Last Great Day, we were sent home with an admonition to totally rely on and obey God and not to do what is right in our own eyes.  

As I write this, I’m settling into my seat on the flight home and am struck by something the flight attendant is instructing all passengers to do. She is saying something like this: “In the event that there is a loss in cabin pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the compartment overhead. If you are traveling with a small child, please secure your own mask before helping those in need of extra assistance.”

That simple instruction brings to mind many questions: Is she saying to help ourselves before we help our children? Has the cabin pressure impaired my hearing? As a mother and new grandmother, my first instinct would be to place the lifesaving oxygen mask onto my child before helping myself! This seems right in my own eyes.

As I sit back and logically assess the instruction, I come to realize that there is a reason that we must place our own mask on first. There is wisdom in having our own physical life secure before attempting to help others. Suppose I did go ahead and try to put the mask on my child first? When oxygen deprived at this altitude, I may develop a condition called hypoxia. This can lead to sluggish thinking, dimmed vision, loss of consciousness and ultimately death. It would only be a short amount of time before I would pass out. If this happens, my child would be left alone, possibly without me permanently. I might even black out before successfully getting my child’s mask on—threatening both of our lives. As you can see, this has many physical and spiritual nuances.

Physical and spiritual application

Physically: Without proper nutrition or adequate rest and exercise, we will not be able to serve and care for others. We see this frequently as people eat unhealthy foods, don’t rest on God’s Sabbath and rarely exercise. Living like that will run down the human body very quickly, leaving us hindered from putting energy into serving others.  

Spiritually: We must build on a strong foundation. We are to work out our “own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). We want to avoid sluggish thinking and dimmed vision. Our personal relationship with God must be full of strength and firmly grounded, or we will not be able to assist our children and others in learning about and growing in God’s way. Without regular Bible study, prayer and fasting, we will be low on “oxygen” and may pass out spiritually.

The next time any of us are on a flight and the flight attendant gives these instructions, let’s consider this matter. Let’s all put our own oxygen mask on (physically and spiritually), so that we may be better able to help others.  

To review the Feast sermon messages and keep the “oxygen” flowing, visit Festival Messages on the COGWA Feast of Tabernacles page.