Before Chuck Yeager successfully broke the sound barrier, no one knew whether an airplane could exceed “Mach 1,” the speed of sound. A British pilot, Geoffrey de Havilland, had died trying. Despite the dangers, the U.S. Army was determined to find out first. The Army had developed a small, bullet-shaped aircraft, the Bell X-1, to challenge the sound barrier. The date of Oct. 14, 1947 was set for the attempt to reach Mach 1. Two nights earlier, Chuck and Glennis Yeager went horseback riding. Chuck was thrown, and broke two ribs on his right side. He didn’t report his injury to the Army doctors in fear that they might give the flight to someone else. So Yeager taped up his ribs and did his best to hide his condition.
On the day of the flight, it became apparent that Yeager’s injured right side wouldn’t allow him to shut the door of the Bell X-1. In the plane’s tiny cockpit; he could only use his right hand which was difficult due to the tremendous pain in his right side. He confessed his problem to Jack Ridley, the flight engineer. In a stroke of genius, Ridley sawed off a short piece of broomstick handle; using it with his left hand, Yeager was able to get enough leverage to slam the door shut. Through toughness and determination, Yeager broke the sound barrier.
What are the difficulties in your life that seem to be “barriers”? Maybe you have experienced the loss of a loved one, an illness, a messy divorce or abuse. Before Jesus went to the cross and rose again, He shared something significant about overcoming barriers:
3 “You believe at last!” Jesus answered. 3 “But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:31-33 NIV
Jesus’ message is as follows: you will have trouble but “I” have overcome the world. The answer lies not in our ability to overcome but in Jesus’ unlimited power. I pray that God will help you overcome whatever struggle you are dealing with today.
God Bless
In May of 2008, Correctional Services Canada (CSC) instituted a total ban on smoking in federal prisons. The ban was overturned in October 2009 by a ruling of federal judge Luc Martineau. The ruling still banned smoking in buildings but allowed inmates to smoke in outside areas . During the year and half ban, inmates found creative alternatives to cigarettes. In place of tobacco, some used a mixture of tea leaves and residue from nicotine gum provided to help smokers quit. The concoction is rolled up in a page from the Bible. The Bible is used because the pages reportedly burn slower than normal paper.
