The Open Fount
Lessons from a nighttime skydive - a spiritual insight
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I first jumped out of a plane in 1980 and still skydive occasionally, but I vividly remember doing my first
nighttime skydive. The conditions for skydiving at night are quite different than in the daylight because
the winds behave differently at night. They may be very strong above 1000 feet, but totally still near the
ground which affects the forward speed of the parachute. Also one’s depth perception is diminished
at night. On my first night jump, I was surprised by the change in wind conditions and decreased
visibility as I approached the ground, and suddenly I found myself heading outside the range of the
car headlights that were lighting the landing area and I was not able to see where the power lines
were that I knew were close. This caused me to have to make some quick, but gentle and precise
canopy maneuvers close to the ground in order to land safely. As a result of this experience, I learned
the importance of three interrelated things to a skydiver: the parachute, the understanding of how to
make the best use of it through practice and study, and being prepared for unexpected conditions.
Similarly, there are three things in life that I have found essential: God’s presence, understandingly
turn to Him/Her in practice and study, and being spiritually prepared for unexpected situations that
come up. In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy (See 467:13), she
wrote, “To grasp the reality and order of being in its Science, you must begin by reckoning God as the
divine Principle of all that really is. Spirit, Life, Truth, Love, combine as one, — and are the Scriptural
names for God. All substance, intelligence, wisdom, being, immortality, cause, and effect belong to
God.” Being familiar with what God is and what God does helps us to make the most of divine
presence.
The process of benefiting from God’s ever-presence is initiated by acknowledging
God’s power, Divine control, His perfection, Her value, Its eternal infinitude. One must stay
consciously with God, steering thought always toward divine Truth, until the parachute of God’s love
and care lands us safely, in other words, until healing, comfort, understanding, harmony, and supply
are demonstrated here and now in one’s daily life. As James wrote to the twelve tribes of Israel (See
James 4:8): “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.”
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