Aviophobia

If you’ve never heard of this word you can probably piece together what it means. We all know “phobia” is a “fear of”, and “Avio” has to do with matters of flying: Aviation, aviary, avian flu, etc. So, Aviophobia is a “fear of flying.”

This has always been lurking within me whenever I fly. It isn’t crippling, because I don’t actively avoid flying. I used to live overseas, and I’ve visited every continent except two (I’m coming for you Australia and Antarctica!). Yet, every time I fly it is still there, and it often shows itself in really odd ways.
– I worry that my individual sin is going to influence this plane to go down.
– My imagination goes haywire, and I find significance in “signs” that certainly spell doom for my aircraft.
– If turbulence does happen, I can’t focus on anything else other than the unsteadiness of the plane.

Now, these experiences have gotten better through the years, largely because of what I talk about later on in this post. However, every now and then it comes up again. It has come up now because shortly I’ll be getting on an overseas flight to spend the end of May in Europe…but let’s zoom out.

You can find phobias for everything. Nomophobia is a fear of being without cell phone coverage. Pogonophobia is a fear of beards. And, ironically, Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is a fear of long words!

Yet, I’ve never liked labeling human behavior/experience as a “phobia.” When we do, it implies that we suffer from it. We are the victim. It’s like getting the flu; it happens to us from outside. Furthermore, when we label experiences as “phobias” we put the issue in a category that God neither addresses nor cares about. “I’ve searched all over the Bible and aviophobia doesn’t come up anywhere! Thus, I must turn to other sources of wisdom for help.”

But are we simple victims? Let’s dig deeper…Consider this conversation I have with myself.

You experience aviophobia. Ok, why?
“I guess I just get afraid when I’m on airplanes. Maybe it is because I don’t like heights. Uh-oh! I have acrophobia too! Ahhh! It’s getting worse.”

Breathe Jonathan. Why do you get afraid on airplanes? Really think about it and don’t just say, “Because I do.”
“Ok, I guess it is because when the bumps come and I’m high in the air, I feel like I’m threatened and unsafe.”

Good. Think deeper. Why do you feel threatened and unsafe?
“Wow, you are really pushing me on this! I think I feel unsafe because I am out of control.”

Isn’t God always in control? Why do you think you have to be in control? Aren’t you a pastor and should know these things?
“Yes, stop poking at this! I just feel safe when I’m the one who is in control and everything is predictable! I don’t want to be in any situation where I can’t control or influence the outcome!”

<Small grin> Do you see it?
“Yes…now stop looking so smug.”
end of self conversation

You see, I don’t just have a fear of flying. I have a self-sovereignty issue where I want to scoot God aside and take my place on the throne of my life. I don’t suffer from this. This is something I do! And this is something that God addresses all over the place.
Ephesians 1:11 says that God “works all things according to the counsel of his will.” “All things” means all things. God is the one in control when I’m on an airplane and God is the one in control when I’m lying peacefully in bed at night. Any control I feel is just me pretending I’m in charge when God is the one who is actively ruling. So, my desire for control is really a form of idolatry. I put myself in God’s place. Isn’t that insidious?

So, right now, I’m grateful to the Lord for this fear of flying. It functions like the warning light that pops up on my dashboard from time to time. If the “check engine” light comes on then that means I need to figure out what is happening with the function of the engine. Without the light, I wouldn’t know there was a problem until it is really bad. My fear of flying is a sign that my sinful self-sovereignty is rearing its ugly head. So, I’m thankful for the Lord for showing it to me so I can address it.

I’m not perfect in this, but this week I’ve been reminded that God is the one who is truly in control of my life. My control is meager to non-existent, and if I was really in control of this world then what a terrible job I would do at being the master of everything!

So, if you have a fear that lurks in your heart, don’t accept that at face-value and assume you are merely the sufferer. You take an active part in whatever is going on. Dig deeper and find out what is lurking in your heart. Doing so, will allow you to address the real problem. That leads to a real solution which we can find in the pages of Scripture.