December 26th
Airport
Where did you come up with that faithfulness?
What were you doing on the day you thought of faithfulness?
When did you come up with the colour red?
I know you knew
Your Son would shed red
For me
I know on that day you knew…
Come with all your goodness
Come with all your faithfulness
Come with all your love
Hallelujah
Man, I am so loving Anthony Skinner’s CD, Forever And A Day.
I am sitting in San Diego’s beautiful airport, day after Christmas, and I should probably be stressed or tired or anxious because that’s what traveling does, right? Instead I am contently munching on cinnamon trail mix [sooo good] and inspired to respond to traveling in the usual way – writing.
So here’s the story of the morning. The original plan was to fly out of SD at 9:35am, connect in Chicago, and land in Kansas City at 6:30pm. So I arrived at the airport a little before 8am, glad to have bypassed any traffic, and feeling like perhaps the whole world had decided to take a second day off work. That is, until I walked into the checking area and instantly felt that old familiar ‘cattle in the branding pen’ vibe. Looking at the boarding pass I had printed at home, I realized that it was marked “Priority Access”. I got to wait in the short line on some fancy red carpet, feeling like some sort of celebrity incognito with my giant purse and freshly cut and dyed hair. No worries though, I am not ‘that one girl’ at the airport with the high heels on. I’m more of a Vans girl =)
So as I make my way down my velvet runway, I notice signs all around that it now costs $15 to check on bag, and $25 to check two. Lame! There’s the spirit of Christmas greed for ya; “Let’s capitalize on the fact that everyone has bags full of presents.” As the hurried American Airlines worker checks my bags, I’m thinking to myself, “Hm cash or card…” and before I know it, she has given me my boarding pass and I am free…of charge! She also had switched my flight to one leaving an hour and a half later with no explanation of why or what the implications would be.
Going through the usual invasive barrage of security demands, I eventually find Gate 31, which is not located between Gates 30 and 32, but across the terminal. Logically. When I sat down, I immediately began to think of the goodness of the Lord. A certain verse in Hosea tells us that “He leads us with cords of kindness.” Feeling a tiny stressed about having my flights switched, I began to reminisce on one of the more mysterious nights of my life. The short version: I got absolutely lost in the middle of industrial Kansas City in someone else’s car…at night…by myself…in the rain…and out of gas. I calmed my heart in prayer and envisioned a well-lit busy 7-11. Three blocks later, I found it. After having a pimp unsuccessfully try to buy my Cheez-its, orange juice, and gas [and possibly my soul], I quickly tanked up and then drove in one direction for fifteen minutes until I arrived at a highway that would take me home. The strange thing was that I got home about thirty minutes earlier than I should have…
That was one of those nights that made me think about the invisible ways that God works in our lives. I remember driving down the highway and wondering if my little ‘detour’ prevented me from getting in some major accident. We so often accuse God of not answering our prayers, but we really have no grid for His unseen work in our lives.
Sitting in the aiport, I decided to check the new flight times and figure out the rest of the day. Somehow, I am scheduled to land in Kansas City, thirty minutes earlier than expected.
What were you doing the day you thought of goodness?
Were you thinking of the moment I might be walking along and need just a little more…
What were you thinking of?
1 Comment
December 26, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Merry Christmas Girl!! Hope you have a relaxing and safe flight =)
love, a.