Photo by Florian van Duyn on Unsplash
As I slid my bag onto seat 28E, I uttered, “Lord, just get me there!” As I made small talk with the stranger beside me, I stuffed the familiar flirtations of nervousness that nudge my heart whenever I travel. Several hours later and 30,000 feet above the plains of the Midwest, I let out a chuckle as I enjoyed my stale airline pretzels and bubbly ginger ale.
I am just a girl from Kansas that the world yawns at, I thought to myself. But I have a God who never dismisses me. Following Him is never dull. I am grateful for the adventure that comes with doing what He asks of me.
An hour later we landed in Denver. A text alert revealed that my connecting flight was canceled. I was to collect my checked bags and proceed to the nearest ticket counter. I wondered if my 13-hour travel day was about to get a little longer.
As I stood up from seat 28E my mid-flight gratefulness morphed into a muffled gripe as I whispered, “God, you have got to be kidding me.”
A life lived close to Me will never be dull or predictable. Expect each day to contain surprises! Resist your tendency to search for the easiest route throughout the day. Be willing to follow wherever I lead.
~Jesus Calling, page 14
I soon discovered that my luggage was lost. I entered the baggage office empty handed and with a heart full of frustration. A mother and her adolescent son were in line in front of me. Her son was communicating through a variety of motions. He was smiling at me and motioning, so I asked his mother if she could help me understand.
This precious one noticed how sad I looked and wanted to know if he could show me something that would make me smile. I nodded yes and we fist-bumped. Then he unpacked a set of plastic cups and started to stack, collapse, and restack them in different configurations at lightening speed.
I have never seen anything like it.
While his ability to stack cups was amazing, his laughter and facial expression held my gaze and melted my frustrations. His joy was contagious! I found myself giggling with him instead of griping over the fact I had no luggage, and no way to make it to the ministry event I was speaking at the next morning. After he was done with the cups, we fist-bumped again and he opened his arms wide.
I know what this motion meant.
Hugs are a love language of mine, so I embraced the expert cup stacker and fought back the tidal wave of tears that pressured to fall. His mom shared that her life hasn’t turned out the way she thought it would due to her son’s disability. I said I would pray for her and she said she’d pray for me to make it into Phoenix in time to speak.
Out of the office they walked, completing the call Jesus designed for them to have in my life. I do, however, have a sneaking suspicion, I will see them again in Heaven.
Through them, I sensed Him…
this is why all of us are living a redesigned life.
I never did make it out of Denver that night but did find my luggage and a flight the next morning. I do not recall the words I uttered at the women’s event. But I will remember Jesus comforting me via a set of plastic cups and through the embrace of the one who handled them.
Thank Me for this day of life, recognizing that it is a precious, unrepeatable gift. Trust that I am with you each moment, whether you sense My presence or not. A thankful, trusting attitude helps you to see events in your life from My perspective.
~Jesus Calling, page 14
All of us will be delayed or inconvenienced by something or someone. Maybe life has turned out differently than you thought it would too. This is true for me! Not only did God redesign my flight that day, he’s redesigned my life too.
After I moved away from Kansas, I worked out in the corporate world as an interior designer. I used the principle of movement to create a focal point within the spaces I redesigned. A focal point caught the attention of my client’s eyes, giving them a place to land and regroup.
In the same way our Master Designer, Jesus, uses the shocks and surprises of our lives to draw our attention back onto Him, the intended Focal Point of our lives. He uses movement so that the eyes of our hearts land and regroup in His embrace whenever we feel lost.
Remember that even though you may feel lost, or things are collapsing, Jesus is right there stacking things back up for your good, ready to embrace you. He is always moving to connect you with the final destination He has designed for you. Trust and keep your eyes on the Focal Point so your gratefulness doesn’t morph into griping. Keep on enjoying the stale pretzels and bubbly ginger ale in your own hands as you travel through the call Jesus has on your redesigned life.
Seat 28E awaits you…
This post was first seen on the Jesus Calling Devotional Blog, February 11,2020.
