I am in a plane, cruising at 32,000 feet writing on my iPad. I have been making my way to this day for 53 years. I am afraid of flying, but for the next 2 hours and 7 minutes, my body will travel about 500 mph between earth and heaven. Usually my husband or children travel with me, but this trip I am alone. The ride has become rough, and the pilot just announced he would try to find some smooth air.

This experience is a mirror of our lives. If we believe in God, our soul’s home is not this earth. We often endure a rough ride, but the purpose of the trip is to get us from point A to point B. Point A is our physical birth, our universal beginning. Point B is our destination choice, an eternity with, or without God.

My airplane pilot today has a final destination for this flight. Since I chose this flight, I am agreeing to fly there. I cannot change the course now. Fortunately, God allows us to change course—pick a different final destination up until our last bit of reason leaves our body. The problem is we do not know when that final moment of reason will be.

So why do we wait to choose God?

Maybe we wait because we want a trip guaranteed to be without turbulence. However, because of free choice, there is no such thing. Just as my plane pilot must steer through air masses governed by the laws of nature and cannot ignore, or avoid their effect, so God abides by the conditions He set up.

God does not manipulate us, or force us to choose Him. He did however make the choice genuine by allowing consequences—negative results from man’s freedom of choice. The “bumps” in our lives are situations like illness, suffering, tragedy, and death. They exist because of broken spiritual law. Sometimes the negative effects feel very personal. We should remember however, these “bumps” might not be personal. They may simply exist as a form of universal chaos, the disorder that entered God’s perfect world when the first man and woman chose to live outside of God’s direction. They sinned. They chose against God. Since then many others, including you and I, have perpetuated wrong choices. Therefore, universal choice against God has brought about universal sufferings.

Our only chance at a turbulent free life comes after we die. If have lived a life where we have chosen God and His plan for us through Jesus, our destination is heaven, where “He will wipe every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:17)

The positive result for us when we choose God is His promise to be with us in the “bumps.” We can also receive guidance, peace, hope, and joy in spite of the “bumps.”

At one point in my bumpy plane ride, a thought brought me comfort in spite of my fear. Bumpy or smooth, You God, are in it.