The Air Beneath You
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” — John 3:8
Flying has taught me something that no theology book ever could: control is an illusion we learn for safety, not for truth.
Every pilot knows the feeling. You’re cruising along in smooth air when, without warning, the plane jolts. The nose drops, the wings shudder, your instruments dance. Instinct says: grab the yoke tighter. Hold on. Fight the chaos.
But that’s the beginner’s mistake, one I made numerous times. The tighter you grip, the more unstable the airplane becomes. Gripping the yoke too tightly reduces the airplane’s aerodynamics. The trick, counterintuitive as it feels, is to loosen your hold. You steady your breathing. You ease the pressure. You let the aircraft ride the wind rather than resist it.
There’s a spiritual corollary here. Many of us were taught a religion of control: a God who rewards order, a world that behaves if we obey. But life doesn’t fly that way. Systems break. People falter. Leaders lose their bearings. Somewhere between the altitude of certainty and the descent of doubt, we find ourselves gripping the yoke of our lives with white-knuckled fear.
That’s when the deeper wisdom whispers: Loosen your hold.
Faith, real faith, isn’t about muscling the world into submission. It’s about learning to feel the unseen currents that hold us up even when everything shakes. Jesus called it “the peace that passes understanding.” St. Francis called it “perfect joy.” The mystics called it surrender. Pilots just call it good airmanship.
Maybe the work of the spirit is learning that turbulence isn’t failure, it’s information. The air is always moving. Stability isn’t found in stillness; it’s found in responsiveness.
The promise of flight — and of faith — isn’t that we’ll stay steady forever. It’s that there is lift enough for us to trust the sky again.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
Where in your life are you gripping too tightly — mistaking control for safety?
What does “flying loose on the yoke” look like in your current season of faith or leadership?
How might surrender be not passivity, but a more skillful form of participation?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer For Those Learning to Trust the Air
Spirit of the open sky, teach us the art of holy looseness. When we try to master what is moving, remind us that the air was never ours to command. Grant us courage to trust the invisible, to ride the winds of change with steady hearts, to feel the lift beneath us — even when the horizon tilts. May our faith be supple, not brittle; our hope be flexible, not fixed. And may we learn again and again that grace is aerodynamic. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
The Loosening
Find a moment this week when something feels out of control — a conversation, a meeting, a plan unraveling.
Notice your body. Where do you tense? What do you try to grip?
Then, quietly, exhale.
Unclench your jaw. Drop your shoulders. Soften your grip.
Say to yourself: The air beneath me still holds.
Now stay there for a breath or two longer than comfort allows. Feel what happens when you don’t rush to regain control. Notice how presence, not power, begins to steady you.
When the impulse to fix or force arises, pause again. Ask: What if the Spirit is already moving here, unseen but trustworthy?
This week, practice trusting the invisible: the lift that carries birds, the wind that shapes clouds, the love that undergirds your own becoming.
Let this be your prayer in motion, a rehearsal in grace.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
January 6, 13, 20, 2026 - Protest and Action Chaplaincy Training with Rev. Anna Galladay. This live, online training offers a framework for providing compassionate, grounded spiritual care during protests, advocacy gatherings, and social movements. Learn more here.
January 15, 2026, 7-8pm EST - FREE Online Webinar: When the Internet Hurts: The Hidden Online Dangers Facing Our Teens and How Faith Communities Can Respond, Join me in conversation with Sharon Winkler, survivor parent and nationally respected youth online-safety advocate. Sharon’s son, Alex, died at age 17 after experiencing cyberbullying and algorithmically targeted pro-suicide content. Since then, Sharon has dedicated her life to helping parents, educators, and faith leaders recognize online dangers and build safer communities for young people. Register here.
February 11th and 25, 2026 - Join Our “Building a Culture of Leadership Within Congregations” Cohort facilitated by Rabbi Benjamin Ross and me! A two-session course for ministers and faith leaders ready to strengthen how their congregations and ministries identify, develop, and support leaders. Learn more here.
July 19-24, 2026 - Join me and amazing co-facilitator, Victoria, on retreat in the back-country of beautiful Wyoming. The Art of Wilding is a 5-Day Expedition for Women Leaders. We will spend the week reconnecting to nature, exploring our inner landscapes for change, and engage the wisdom of spiritual teachings. Click here to learn more.
I drafted a Strategic Framework for Congregations as we move into the coming years of increased authoritarianism around the world. If interested, you can download it here.
Fun Things My Friends Are Up To…
I get to work with such amazing, creative people. This new section is my way of celebrating them—no promotions, just joy in what they’re creating.
Do you know the great folks at Spiritual Wanderlust? They are giving us with such great courses and teaching. I’m excited about this series on the mystics.
Joshua Michael Schrei is the producer of the “The Emerald” podcast. It is SOOOOO good. Here is one of my recent favorite episodes, but all of them are worth listening to. Fix a hot cup of tea, settle in and enjoy every minute!
Brian McLaren just published his first sci-fi book, The Last Voyage. It’s the first book of a three part series. It’s brilliant, important and such a fun read. We should have a book club session on this one.
If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.
I find this message precious in wisdom the wisdom of God for us. It is marvellous mystery. Too many have been taught the rigidity of self made surety - such a fabrication that easily falls apart when taken into the roughest of terrain of our daily lives. Thank you. I keep relearning it. Way to go!
To “loosen our hold,”
to ease pressure, steady breath,
resist less. Ride wind?!
...
“Currents... hold us up
even when everything shakes.”
“Lift enough... to trust.”