Aunt Mary and her niece Julie were once traveling together on an airplane. The plane was small and the turbulence was significant making Mary, Julie and everyone else on board a bit anxious. Mary noticed many of the passengers grasping armrests with white-knuckle grips. As the turbulence increased, she realized she needed to do something to relieve the fears building up in six-year-old Julie.

When the next big dip occurred, Mary enthusiastically let out a single word, “Wheee!!!!!!” With fearful and bulging eyes, Julie snapped her head in the direction of Mary to discover her aunt smiling. Julie smiled too.

Another dip. Another “Wheee!!!”

Another dip. This time in unison of Mary and Julie, “Wheee!!!”

Another dip. This time in unison of nearby passengers, “Wheee!!!”

Mary had turned fear into fun.

Were the passengers ever in danger? According to askthepilot.com, turbulence “is ordinarily seen as a convenience issue, not a safety issue. Conditions might be annoying and uncomfortable, but the plane is not going to crash.”

A friend of mine is in the middle of a complex, yet worthwhile project. Two weeks before “launch” date, I promised to be her “Wheee!!!” person. As she navigates the ups and downs, my job is to remind her about the exciting upside of the adventure she faces.

Do you have a friend who is going through something BIG? Perhaps you could volunteer to be their “Wheee!!!” person. Can you pray them through the days, weeks or months? Can you provide tangible touch points so they know you are thinking about them? Will you earnestly pray for them — not only to make it through — but to find joy along the way?

We all face big things at some point in our lives. In the Bible, during the battle of the Amalekites, as long as Moses held his hands up, the Israelites were winning. Aaron and Hur became the “Wheee!!!” team for Moses. They held his hands up to support his tired arms.

As a “Wheee!” person the spotlight is off of you. But it is such an honor, whatever they are facing, to help someone see it through.

Who knows? The next time you are on an airplane, you just might experience a little bit of turbulence. You know what to do.