We were on the frontier. Everything was uncharted territory. Nothing was certain. We began to push incredible speeds. Where we going? What were we going to do with the technology we were creating? Who would pilot the craft? Life and death hung in the balance each time.
“…and to the spirit of just men made perfect..”
Hebrews 12:23b
John Glenn was a man of quiet composure and reflection with anability to stay calm, cool and collected under great pressure. Rising up through the ranks as a test pilot before moving onto flying rockets, Mr. Glenn became the face of America as it strove in at lightning speed into a new era. The world would never be the same again. A door had been opened and would not be closed. Soon enough, after the successes of John, droves of satellites and future space missions went on the docket. The “space race” moved into a fast sprint and America’s outlook on who it was and where it was going suddenly changed. What was before deemed impossible, was now possible. We had left earth and seen it from afar. We had proved that we could send manned-rockets and safely await their return.
John Glenn’s fortitude in being the man who went into the test rockets, and ultimately the rocket that would propel him past our atmosphere also propelled the imaginations of not just Americans, but people the world over. Life would stay the same on earth, and yet would be different altogether afterwards.
A servant through his service to the “city on a hill,” John Glenn continued to serve in less harrowing ways as a congressman in Washington D.C. Throughout all his time he remained a gentle and principled man untouched by the excesses and trappings that come with political power. His constant service to the United States is a feat unto itself and is testament to his champion mindset of ‘never giving up,’ and going above and beyond the call of duty.
Will we ever get another John Glenn? I bank that America is full of us who are willing to go forth for God, country and each other as brothers and sisters. His life’s example showed that you can reach the top through service unto others, only we must be brave, willing and able to take on the challenges of each day, pushing ourselves past what is enough and accepted into trailblazing into new territories and domains.
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