I was travelling in a few hours’ time. I was all set because I believe in packing at least a week in advance thus saving myself from last minute anxiety. Whatever I needed to buy, I had also bought in advance to ensure the packing process was fully complete. As I enjoyed my remaining time before setting off for the airport, I was hanging out with family members. My aunt shared with me how another aunt had been inconvenienced by the airline over the items she had bought. Some of the items she had bought were similar to what I had bought. I got a little panicky that what if the same thing happened to me, where I would have to leave the items I had bought. I asked which airline it was. It wasn’t the same airline I was going to use. In fact, it’s one I had bid in 2013, that I would never use it again and haven’t since then, thank God. Once I heard it wasn’t my airline, I stopped worrying.
The journey to the airport was smooth even where there was an interaction with airport police at the security point. I don’t like interacting with the police in my country at all. It can escalate into a bad situation especially when you are innocent. At the security point at the airport, any passengers in the vehicle are meant to come out of the vehicle and go through security screening. The person driving then also drives the vehicle across a security check. The passengers who dropped off and the driver then meet on the other side of security. Even if it’s a short distance its just an inconvenience especially when it’s raining.
My flight was in the early hours after midnight. I was driving the vehicle and had 2 passengers. I proceeded to drop them off at their screening, but it appeared that the entrance was closed. The passengers encouraged me to continue driving. I was a bit hesitant because I knew it would create a conversation where the police would ask why the passengers had not dropped off to go for their screening. I didn’t want a situation, but it was clear the entrance was closed. I stopped at the vehicle screening point. The police man greeted me, I greeted him too. They off course know how to keep eye contact and so do I. He greeted my co-passenger; a few pleasantries were exchanged, and he asked me to safely take my passengers to the airport. Thank you, Jesus.
At the check in desk one of my luggage was 2kg over my allowance and the other was under. I was asked to shift the 2kgs into the other luggage. There is also another airline that I have bid never to fly with and have not flown with since 2012 for this reason. The checking attendant asked to weigh my hand luggage. In my many years of travelling I had never seen that. They had not even weighed the luggage that was to be checked in. Based on the hand luggage weight, I was then asked to go and repack. This instruction was repeated when I protested, the second time with a hand gesture of where to go repack. When I came back, I had to rejoin the long queue, yet I had arrived at the airport in good time and had been one of the first ones to check in.
By the time I got to the front, they had closed the gate and I had missed my flight. God being God, he had delayed my connecting flight at the 2nd destination, so I was still able to catch it with the new flight I was put on, having advocated my case. The 2nd flight was so delayed I was even able to take a tour of Paris. After that experience I vowed never to fly with Air France again. On this trip when I was asked to shift the weight, I did not even remember this experience. It is now that I write this that I remember. I was asked to do the shifting of weight just near the attendant and to come back to her without requeuing again. Thank you, Jesus.
By the time I settled in my seat, I was not only ready to land but ready to sleep. I put on my music and my nice noise drowning, base amplifying headphones. We soon started moving, ready for take-off. We were moving very slowly, and I assumed there must be a lot of traffic to take off. There was an announcement over the system, but I didn’t listen to it. I was busy in my music, which was far from the type to lull you in to sleep. We were on the runway for a while and then I noticed after some time we were headed back to the gate! No! don’t even tell me there is something wrong with the plane, we have to leave and come back the next day! I thought. It takes you some mental prep to travel and the thought of repeating the whole process from killing time before going to the airport and all those multiple security checks was something I really didn’t want to go through again.
Well, God heard my unspoken prayer. We were stationary at the gate for some time. Everyone around me was asleep and there was no one to ask what had happened to make us come back to the gate. The staircase had also been brought near the plane. The flight attendants would quickly pass by the aisle, and I didn’t get a chance to flag them from my window seat and ask them what was happening. I was tempted to press the buzzer to get them, but decided I would just wait. There was another announcement and this time I took out my headphones to listen. By this time, I had made my peace that if we had to come out it meant that God had seen something that none of us had seen. I thought best we come out now and our lives are spared instead of flying tonight and something happens. The captain announced that the passenger who was not well had been seen to by a doctor and all was well. The plane needed to be refuelled and we would be on our way. Thank you, Jesus.
When I landed at my destination, I went through Immigration quickly. My luggage was one of the first to come out and this time as opposed to the many other times, the hail a ride company, also came quickly. Not only that, but we had a nice conversation during the journey. The weather was also better than I had anticipated, a prayer that I recognised was answered. What I’m saying is that this season of travel has been filled with the hand of God.
All these experiences were supposed to go another way, based on stories I’ve heard from or of others and based on my own previous history. This is not a surprise to me because as I mentioned in the previous post “Crown of Life”, I feel Gods’ mission has been to cover, protect and shelter me from feeling the full effects of the things I have experienced. I also know this from my health challenges of which new things continue to unfold.
Even in that, it is clear God has not given up. He has not retired and said “TPA your situations are too many I’m done with you!” Thank you, Jesus! He can’t leave us in any situation because nothing is too hard for him, even if its one after the other after the other. He can’t give up one us, because one, how can you give up on your child and two. For humans that may be possible, but he is not human, he is the sovereign God of Love. Two, so long as we recognise him as our strength, he is so pleased to do something to help us, be our strength, be our rock and hiding place.
In challenging times, we ask so many questions because we want answers. The Excellent Book says lean not on your own understanding and I think it tells us this because we will not understand, so our mission will not be accomplished, leaving us feeling even more dispirited. Even if we get to understand, it doesn’t take away the heaviness of what we may be feeling. My encouragement is therefore in two-fold.
One, have a conversation with him about how you feel, without blaming him. If you want to blame someone, blame the one who was thrown out of heaven and orchestrates evil and pain because that is his nature. The 2nd encouragement is look at those many times God has hidden you from, both the small things in life and the big things, the ones you know and the ones you don’t know. Certainly, what happens to others does not mean it will happen to you. Also, what happens to you in the past, won't always happen again.
So, If God has hidden you, is hiding you, will continue to hide you from the full effects of life and if he has spared you so you can breathe with his breath on this day, won’t he continue to do the same for you today, tomorrow and to eternity? Only believe, because we have a God who is Good, a God who is Great, a God who is unstoppable and a God who always provides a ram in the thicket.
Related Verses
Genesis 18:14
Proverbs 3:5
Deuteronomy 31:6
Deuteronomy 31:8
Joshua 1:9
Genesis 22:13
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Next Post out on 16/03/2024
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