Perfection?

Sorry, but the airshow pix might be a staple for awhile!  When you look at this picture, what do you think?  Are you amazed at the unbelievable formation flying of these four, no five, F-18 Blue Angels airplanes?  Frankly, I am.  As a private pilot with a mere 350 flying hours, I can't imagine getting this close to another plane; never mind at their speed and with the turns they do together.

What else do you see?  Maybe you noticed that the #4 plane is slightly out of formation; actually noticeably farther away from his flying comrades than the rest.  Do you think he's a slacker?  Maybe just not as good as the rest?  It's interesting to ponder how we react to slight differences -- do we overlook the incredible reality of how close they are to focus on the variances?  I confess to having some of those thoughts.

Then, it turns out that the #4 guy dropped out of the show the next day because of illness.  So maybe, just maybe, he was feeling a little off his game when this shot was taken and left just a little extra margin of error to protect his formation partners.  That changes the perspective, doesn't it?

Lord, help me to be quick to listen, slow to judge, and to be full of grace.