The Cutest Passenger

I was boarding my flight to Dallas when I noticed a man by the plane door battling with a stroller. I felt sorry for him as the stroller seemed to be beating him in this parent-stroller showdown, and then I saw her standing next to him. She was the cutest little girl! I admired her dark hair and cherub face, her bright eyes and placid demeanor. It evoked a warm and fuzzy feeling indeed to lay eyes on such a sweet and beautiful child.

I slowly made my way to my row 11 aisle seat only to find it occupied by a young mother with a tiny infant in her arms. She asked me with pleading eyes if I would take the window seat next to her daughter who was coming, so I acquiesced and scooted in to the window. In a few minutes, here came the battling father that I had observed at the plane entrance with the lovely little girl in his arms. He sat her down next to me as her mother and I exchanged small talk. She was still as cute as ever, but suddenly it hit me that I would be corralled in my seat for the next 3 hours next to a two year old and a busy mother with an infant. I didn't really mind entertaining the little girl or tolerating a baby's wails, but my discomfort was in the change of plan. Air time is valuable time to write, read, think etc. and it looked like this little angel was going to change that plan for me. I recalculated and adapted to this new arrangement, but it jumped out at me how easy it is to admire something from a distance but how hard it can be to commit to it.

I am writing this from row 23 after exchanging seats with the father of the cutest passenger and I am back to Plan A, but I am still meditating on this lesson. It is one thing to admire, but it is another thing to pay the price. 

Ruffled Feathers

"Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him." John 13:3-5

Image retrieved from: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3322/3621669829_edda33ed03_z.jpg

     Nobody likes to feel threatened and many times when a storm approaches our lives, we instinctively become defensive, demeaning, intolerant, arrogant, reclusive or paralyzed in response to it. We fluff up our psychological feathers to fool ourselves and others into believing we are strong and dominant, and humanly speaking, it often works! Instead of sleeping between the prison guards while facing certain demise (Acts 12:6), we stay up wringing our hands, planning our escape, plotting revenge, formulating our defense and bargaining with God; however, although these things can strategically pay off in the natural, all these things speak of our fear, not real power. Did God not promise to give us His power? (Acts 1:8) These responses tell of a life that is not exactly sure who it belongs to, what its destiny is and acutely feels its vulnerability and powerlessness before others so it puffs up at every attack. Our anchor should be the same one of faith that King David held onto when besieged by enemies, "What time I am afraid I will trust in thee." Psalms 56:3 It is when we know without a doubt that we are God's, we can trust Him and we have constant access to His great power that we can smooth our ruffled feathers, whip out our basin and towel (or sword and shield as the case may require) and continue to operate in the confidence that our power is secure in God. 

The Equalizer

 Photo retrieved from: http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2012/04/100-years-after-the-titanic-pictures/lifeboat/

Tragedies have a way of equalizing us. It has been noted by first responders that in the aftermath of catastrophic events, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes etc. when homes are destroyed, possessions lost and the ephemeral nature of life suddenly brought to the forefront, that suddenly all involved find themselves on an even ground. Rich, poor, ignorant, educated, white, brown, black are all looking for the same basic essentials: water, food, shelter and blankets. All are also in need of a reassuring word, a comforting hug and a dose of generosity. Times of chaos remind us that we are all human and as humans, we all have the same essential physical, emotional and spiritual needs.

As societies expand, opportunities abound and economic prosperity begins to take hold in a nation, the differences in us begin to polarize and become more distinctive. The rich become richer making the poor feel poorer, the ambitious stand on the backs of the common people and appear so much taller, the accomplished trumpet their achievements and make others feel like under performers and the satiated flaunt their abundance, making others feel less prosperous. The thirsty ask for a cup of water, but it is a bother to give a cup of water if one has never known thirst. Thus we feel unequal. We no longer tolerate the foibles, differences and needs of others because we feel they are inexcusable- and sometimes they are! However, it will allow us to be much more forgiving and escape much frustration in our lives if we retain the understanding that all of us as humans have the same wants, needs and desires at our cores. We are all on the ship of humanity together, whether in first class or steerage, all heading towards the same horizon and all hoping for a safe passage. May it not take a run-in with an iceberg to remind us that when life is endangered, we are all looking for the same lifeboat.  

An Elementary Oversight

How can we commit such an elementary oversight? The computer is not working and we are mashing buttons, muttering under our breath and looking for the Geek Squad hotline when our kid walks in and casually mentions that we might want to plug the computer in and give it some juice. Well, maybe the better question is, "How can I do such dumb stuff??" But I have.

We take being plugged in for granted. The washer washes, the freezer freezes, the blender blends, the light lights all because they are plugged into an outlet. In our American society, we rarely doubt if there is electricity flowing because it usually is, and we trust in this external energy source for function, comfort and convenience. So it is in other parts of our lives also. We take for granted our health, strength, mental capabilities, earning power and relationships. We rarely consider what source they are plugged into or what external provider allows us this energy. That is until we become unplugged. Suddenly our health fails, we can no longer pay the bills, we start having strange thoughts or our spouse files for divorce and we start flipping a thousand different switches to try to make it all work again. Not until the last option do we finally ask ourselves, "Could it be unplugged?" Sometimes we have to push through all the possibilities, all the advice and theories and simply reconnect with the Main Source. We must take the time to unload our burdened spirits of their pain, hurt, resentment, lack of forgiveness and fear and plug back into a real relationship with the Giver of All Life. It is amazing how well things can work when they are actually plugged in!