Yesterday, I found myself engrossed in two historic news stories: the Artemis II lunar flyby and the rescue of the US pilot in Iran. Both events taught me something about what it means to “take the high ground”—a principle I’ve heard about for years when I return to the Gettysburg battlefields.
First, I listened as the astronauts talked about the vantage point they had (what’s commonly referred to as the “overview effect”). Victor Glover, the pilot, famous said, “Trust us, you look amazing. You look beautiful. No matter where you’re from or what you look like, we’re all one people.” He described humanity as “special in all of this emptiness.” I marveled along with the astronauts as the new images of the moon emerged. With this high vantage point, we gain a special perspective to worship the Creator, to see how small we are in the vast universe. I stayed fascinated most of the day. When I take this high ground of worship, my problems seem smaller.
Later, as I learned the details of how the US pilot survived after his plane was shot down, I read more about more about how the military trains soldiers and prepares them well ahead of the emergency. When the disaster happens, they know exactly what to do: tend to wounds, find the high ground, and send your help signal. The pilot, I read, climbed over 7,000 feet and hid in a rock crevice. I try to imagine it. I think about the notion of “leave no man behind.” That evening, I hear from two different mothers of children in the military who are both weapons specialists just like the downed pilot. As we were studying Bible passages that help us in times of difficulty, they both remarked about the importance of advance training—the hard work and preparation—to manage any hard situation that might surely come. Just like a trained pilot, we can “find the high ground” of an eternal perspective grounded in God’s word; we can send out our beacon to gather help to us; and we can stay certain of rescue.
Both pilots—the astronaut and the weapons specialist—understood their training. Both pilots knew the power of the high ground.