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When Lindberg was preparing his plane, the Spirit of St. Louis for the first trans-Atlantic flight he was well aware of the danger of being overloaded. The plane, the fuel and the pilot were necessary but all the superflous weight was dangerous. It could cost the trip, the plane, even his own life if he carried even one pound too much weight.
So he stripped his plane of everything that was not essential. He even ripped out the upholstery from the pilots seat, choosing discomfort rather than failure or death. He took only sandwiches and coffee. Before the end of the flight LIndberg had many occasions to see how wise it had been to travel light. He landed safely in Paris amid shouts of praise.
About the same time there were some French fliers who planned a flight westward across the Atlantic. But they thought it was foolish to to strip themselves of every comfort and convenience. Their plane was upholstered and furnished until it was almost luxurious. They took along all kinds of good food and even some champagne.
They started ever so well but out over the ocean they ran into storms and trouble. Their plane may have been too heavy to maneuver or stay aloft and they perished beneath the waves of the Atlantic. Their excess baggage may have cost them their lives!
In the Bible is the solemn question,"What shall it profit a man if he should gain the whole world and lose his own soul?
Hebrews 12:1: "Let us throw off everything that hinders and sin that so easily entangles us."
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