Eye Upon Us

Black and slender, sweeping up over an arching horizon, the wing tips seemed to blend into the blackness of space.  Far below, vast expanses of mountains and farmland muted together in subtle shades of pastels and hues.  Cloud cover stubbornly concealed some low lying areas, but added depth and personality to the overall scene.  Contrary to the real truth, the view hinted at tranquility and peace.  It was a magnanimous view that only a select few would ever experience.  He knew it, but it came at a cost.  A heavy cost...

A feeling of loneliness and dread laced the cockpit every flight.  Miles of air separated him from the rest of humanity.  Thousands of miles separated him from his home.  At this point, even radio communication had been terminated, leaving him isolated and alone with his thoughts.  Random and fleeting, like trying to capture falling stars, he blinked from memory to memory.  His rocky marriage, his extensive training, the last hurried briefing, the current lengthy mission.  Nothing held fast.  Nothing held strong.  Responsibility and duty forced each thought to retreat immediately at first appearance.  The plane demanded his attention.  His current environment demanded his maximum respect.  

At 70,000 feet, the allowable airspeed window was extremely small.  Less than eight knots separated an over speed and a stall.  He was flying in the “coffin corner” regime.  There was no room for error.  Ironically, though, the unforgiving altitude also offered a degree of safety.  Nothing could reach him.  At least, that is what he had been told.  So far, the statement had remained accurate.  Despite repeated enemy aircraft intercepts and missile salvo attempts, the U-2 “Dragon Lady” spy plane had remained untouchable.  Cruising in the upper stratosphere, nearing the edge of space, the steroidal glider flew over the enemy undeterred.  Unable to shoot it down, the proud Russians could not publicly admit that the United States was actively spying on them.  Admission of such overflights included an admission of impotence.  It was a slap in the face, especially in the fros of the Cold War era.  Russian radar tracked the U-2.  Russian fighters pursued the U-2.  Russian missiles launched towards the U-2.  But nothing could reach the U-2.  The “Dragon Lady” offered a platform of impunity, and the United States relished it.  Needless to say, Russia desperately wanted to shoot it down.

That’s what unnerved him the most.  They knew he was flying over.  They were always watching.  Russia would not give up.  Statistically speaking, every overflight was becoming more and more dangerous.  It was just a matter of time before the enemy would get lucky.

He deeply inhaled the pure oxygen streaming into his helmet.  With a sigh of trepidation, he remembered the silver dollar in the outer pocket of his flight suit.  He swallowed hard.  It was not comforting knowing that secretly hidden in the coin was a needle loaded with curare.  One prick would suffice, he had been told.  Then, to add more tension, he eyed the guarded self-destruct switches on the cockpit panel.  He momentarily closed his eyes and growled an aggrieved moan.  He knew he couldn’t afford these mental distractions.  The “Dragon Lady” and the mission demanded his utmost attention.  A whispered prayer drifted across his lips, and then he resumed his duties.

Out of nowhere, the cockpit glowed with a flash of orange light.  The U-2 bucked hard as an explosive charge reverberated throughout the airframe.  Like a dog coming out of water, the U-2 shook and vibrated furiously.  For a moment, he thought he had experienced a dreaded compressor stall and engine flameout.  The nose began to fall through the horizon.  He instinctively pulled back on the stick, but the controls went slack.  He pivoted his head to the right just as the right wing, sickeningly, folded upwards and separated from the fuselage.  Suddenly, he wished the engine had flamed out.  That was a much better scenario than what reality had just served.  Panic strangled him as his worst nightmare was realized.  Like the spy plane around him, his fate disintegrated before his eyes.  The Russians had gotten lucky.

The shoot down of the U-2 piloted by Francis Gary Powers was one of the most critical incidents during the Cold War.  It created a legendary brouhaha between the United States and Russia during an already very strained time.  It is a fascinating story that later inspired the movie “Bridge of Spies”.  The fact that the Soviet Union could now reach out and “touch” the U-2 required the United States to pursue an alternative platform to monitor the “enemy”.  That platform would be found in orbit around the Earth.  The shoot down of Gary Power’s U-2 quickly ushered in the use of spy satellites, and the birth of “Project Corona”.

These are some pictures of calibration crosses or targets.  They were specifically constructed in the 1960’s during the Cold War to calibrate spy satellite cameras.  About sixty feet square, the large concrete Maltese crosses have long since been abandoned.  Littering the rock and sand infested Sonoran Desert, approximately one hundred of them are still identifiable.  Like lost ghost towns succumbing to neglect and the encroachment of nature, they are slowly vanishing.  In time they will disappear, but their historical significance still remains.  These Cold War relics represent the beginnings of a new era of technology; an era of surveillance.  

In point of fact, we are constantly being watched.  Like it or not, the chances are very good someone or something is watching or has the capability to monitor our every move.  Digital data and surveillance cameras are everywhere.  For example, surveillance cameras are in airports, schools, libraries, stores, gas stations, houses, garages, hotels, ATMs, elevators, street intersections, speed zones, and cross walks.  Even if there isn’t a stationary surveillance camera setup, there are cameras in cars, planes, helicopters, drones, and satellites.  I’ve even been in a wilderness area, completely off grid, and found multiple game cameras.  Mobile surveillance is even more prevalent because everybody has smart phones.  Videos and pictures reach social media faster than flipping on a light switch.  

At this point, trying to stop the influx of surveillance monitoring tools could be likened to stopping an avalanche with a snow shovel.  It’s not going to happen.  Under the guises of convenience, safety, and entertainment, the deluge will continue.  And surprisingly, we will continue to aide the process as we Snapchat, browse the internet, ask SIRI for directions, voice command Alexa, and sync our phones to every gadget we own including our car.

However, conspiracy theories aside, there are many people that are comfortable with and find safety in someone always watching.  Therein lies the crux of the matter.  Our acceptance level of being watched depends entirely on our perspective regarding the watchers’ intentions.  Do we trust them?  Are they watching in love and support?  Are they watching for our own protection?  Or are they watching to find fault?  Are they watching to cause harm or pass blame?

For a Christian, the concept of being watched should not be new.

“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” (Proverbs 15:3 ESV)

I, for one, find great comfort in knowing that my Lord and Savior knows everything about me.  He knew me in the womb.  He knows the number of hairs on my head.  He knows when I wake and when I sleep.  He knows the number of days I have left on this Earth.  There is nothing that He doesn’t know, including my heart.  If I offer up a good deed with a smile, but begrudgingly curse the act in my heart, He knows.  If I pretend to be saintly and “play” church on Sunday, but partake of the world during the week, He knows.  If I say I love Him, but hate my sister and brother, He knows.  I may fool others and myself, but He knows the truth.  He knows my heart and my thoughts.

To many, it can be intimidating to think that God sees and knows everything.  It almost becomes a “road block” for their Christian walk and journey.  They have one lustful thought and decide that it’s not possible to meet the strict standard so why even try.  Or they stumble into an old sin and beat themselves up unmercifully for failing.

The apostle Paul wrote many books of the New Testament.  One of those books or letters was Romans.  Located in Chapters seven thru eight, Paul descriptively agonizes over his own struggle with sin.  He writes, “What a wretched man I am!”  (Romans 7:24).  It is a struggle we all experience.  There is no immunity to the fleshly struggle, but there is a wonderful caveat.  As Christians, we have been set free from the law of sin and death through Christ.  In other words, being human, I will continue to sin and fall short of the glory of God, but if I believe in my heart that Jesus rescued me, then there is no longer any condemnation. (Take special note, that it is all about the heart).  What a beautiful silver lining to an otherwise dark and ominous storm.

The perspective of God watching should then become; “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.” (Psalm 37:23-24 NIV)

God knows everything, and He peers all the way into the depths of our hearts.  That fact does not have to be intimidating because He is greater than our hearts.  If our hearts condemn us, we can find solace in knowing that Christ has already taken care of the matter.  If we are in the 'truth', there is no reason not to rest in His presence.  In confidence, we can forget what is behind and strain towards what is ahead.  We can press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called us.  “Big Brother” watching may not be a palatable scenario since we don’t know “Big Brothers’” full intentions, but having God watch and be with us every step we take is truly wonderful and comforting.  As long as we are in Christ, we can relish in that loving relationship where God can instruct and teach us.  With His counsel, we can confidently move forward, knowing that His eye is upon us the entire way!