This past weekend I traveled to Chicago. My return flight was supposed to depart at nine in the morning. I got to the airport bright and early and was excited because I was even able to upgrade to first class for a very small fee. 8:30, the time to board arrived, and the attendant came over the intercom and announced that the mechanics were looking at the plane and it would be a couple of minutes before we could board. At nine she came back on the intercom and announced that our plane was not suitable for flying and that they were getting us another plane. A few minutes passed and the attendant informed us that another plane was not found and so our flight was canceled.
The funny thing is rather than getting mad that I had to find another flight, which ultimately resulted in me waiting in the airport for another four hours, traveling to San Diego and waiting three more hours before leaving for San Jose. Originally I was supposed to arrive in
I say this because how we respond to situations is so important. Often when things happen we get upset at everyone, including God. We ask Him why this particular thing is happening. Some people, in their fury, even turn their back on God. In the process of doing this, we fail to see God’s hand upon our situation. Can you imagine, what would have happened if the mechanics didn’t recognize the problem with the plane and it was cleared for take-off? God protected me and the rest of the passengers of what could have been a catastrophic accident. I still don’t understand the purpose behind the lost baggage, but I can make a spiritual connection. Sometimes it is clear why roadblocks are placed in our life. In other words, we can easily understand why certain things are happening. Other times, it is not so clear why we have to experience roadblocks, in fact it might seem to our natural eyes as something unnecessary. But God always has a perfect plan.
I think about when I first moved to
Today I was incredibly patient when it came to my cancelled flight, extended stay in the airport, and lost luggage. I will be honest and say I have not always been this way. There are many times when I have endured roadblocks and rather than accepting them, I have complained to God about them. I don’t know what ‘cancelled flights’ you are experiencing in your life but I encourage you to ask yourself “How am I responding to this unexpected news?” Cancelled flights mess up our whole plans. We expect to arrive at a particular destination at a particular time, but cancelled flights prevent that from happening. We have to wait around longer, and sometimes luggage we planned on bringing, gets lost in the process. Life is like that as well. Sometimes we have plans and designs for our own life, but God He says “I am going to cancel those plans, and I am going to create my plans.” He is saying “I am the pilot and I am changing the course your life is taking.” Not only does He change our plans, but like lost luggage, God removes baggage from our life that we don’t need. It might be uncomfortable, and it probably won’t be fun, but you will arrive at the destination where God wants you, and that destination is so much better than our own designed destination.