If you've ever flown in an airplane, you know, before the
plane even taxis out to the runway, all the passengers on board are given
instructions on what to do in the case of an emergency.
One of these instructions has always amazed me.
Passengers are told, in case of an emergency where pressure
and oxygen fall in the cabin, oxygen masks will drop from overhead. They’re told to place these masks on themselves
before assisting any of the passengers around them. Special emphasis is even placed on doing
this before helping any children or elderly.
To some this may seem selfish or cruel. Is it really rational to ask a mother to put
her life before that of her young child?
There is a profound wisdom here though. And, I believe it’s a wisdom backed by the
Word of God.
The reason our flight-attendant friends give the instruction
they do, is because they know how quickly lack of oxygen can cause the human
body to pass out. Though still alive, the
body is rendered completely ineffective.
They know, in this type of emergency, the best chance at saving lives is
to have as many people conscious as possible.
If a passenger, including our mother, helps the person next to them while
failing to secure their own mask first, there’s a chance both will end up
unconscious and without oxygen.
Inversely, if our passenger first gets their mask on, they’ll be much
more likely to stay conscious and able to help the passenger next to them. Even if the passenger sitting next to them passes
out while waiting for help, they’ll both ultimately receive the oxygen they
need to survive.
Bottom line is this…
We’re no good to anyone else if we’re not ok ourselves.
Now I said there was Biblical evidence to back this up, and
here it is: