Airplanes are truly wonderful, aren’t
they? Whether they’re reuniting a family, taking you on a lavish vacation,
bringing a hero home from war, or anything else, they are awesome. Sometimes
people have to fly on airplanes for not-so-great reasons, but even then the
ease of flying over driving takes a little bit of stress off the passenger. Let
me tell you a little-known Rachel fact…airplanes really kind of freak me out
sometimes. I’m not talking about a Bridesmaids “Colonial woman on the wing”
meltdown situation, but they make me panic a little, especially in the dark.
You know that moment when you hear the ding and the flight attendant says “The Captain
has turned on the fasten seatbelt sign. Please remain seated with your
seatbelts fastened as unexpected turbulence may occur”…that’s the moment that
really undoes me. I worry enough as it is, so being thousands of feet in the
air in a little steel blob is not my idea of fun. I am thankful for the
opportunities I have had to fly, but I’m just saying if it was realistic to
walk from TCU to Georgia I probably would.
Last night
I flew from Greenville, South Carolina to Fort Worth, Texas…and let me just tell you
something…I was in a MOOD. I was teary-eyed because I had to say goodbye to
some of my best friends at Clemson earlier that day, I was tired, and the
flight was delayed. I was in such a mood that when I heard two people next to
me start SINGING in the airport (uh hello singing is one of my favorite things in the world) I
didn’t join in or smile and wave, I got up and moved myself as far away from
them as possible. Yeah, I was in a mood. Little did I know I was about to meet
someone else, also in a mood, that would change my life forever.
We all sat
down on the flight and the plane was delayed for about thirty more minutes and
we all quickly noticed something less-than-ideal…the air conditioning was
DEFINITELY not on and people were legitimately starting to sweat. This did not
help my mood, and I think it started to create a mood for the
previously-smiling customers. Then my phone died (shocking) and I was tired,
mad, and sweaty (#ugh). One guy behind me, 11D, started to actually
sing a song about air conditioning. The lyrics were, “Air conditioning,
anybody? It’s fricken hot.” It made everyone chuckle. I even Tweeted about it.
People were starting to get concerned about their connections, including 11D,
who hit the call button to check-in on his next flight to LA. It was easy to
tell he was concerned, but the flight attendant assured him he would be okay.
The Captain came over the loud speaker to let us know that the air
conditioning, in fact, was not on (okay thank u sir), but it would be shortly.
We finally took off and after a few turbulent bumps where I almost clinged onto the man in the Clemson hat next to me, I pulled out my book, “Love Does” by
Bob Goff. If you haven’t read it, do yourself a favor and start reading it
today. I’m in love with it. I was reading a chapter about Goff accidentally
eating Crisco instead of cream cheese and then…it happened…
BOOM
The flight
attendant, who was going up and down the tiny aisle handing out drinks and pretzels,
dropped a Sierra Mist on the ground. We all know what happens when a soda that’s
been rolled around and shaken up hits the ground…oh baby it was a Sierra Mist
shower for the man in 11D. I thought the head of the twenty-five(ish) year old
looking guy was going to do the same thing as the soda can. He took off his
shoes, stood on the seat, did a little jump maneuver over the flight attendant
and the drink cart, and started pacing the aisle looking for paper towels. He
kept making remarks like “I can’t wait to put my shoes back on and have sticky
feet all the way to LA” and “This is f*cking ridiculous”. I sat there kind of
in shock at his reaction, like most people around me (The man in 10D kind of
let out a chuckle). I immediately thought “I would NEVER have reacted like that”.
The second I had that thought it was
like time stopped. “Wait…how would I have reacted?” was my next immediate thought.
Part of me likes to think that I would have just said “No big deal at all…everyone
makes mistakes…” but in reality, I don’t think that’s how I would have reacted.
I had a lot
of time to reflect on how I would have reacted in that situation. When I got
real about it, I was pretty disappointed with myself. I knew that if my mom was
with me and the soda had gotten all over me, I would have been so livid and she
probably would have to hear all about how mad I was. I would have probably
tried to place the blame on her somehow and then not spoken for the rest of the
flight. Isn’t it weird to think that sometimes the people we love more than
anything, and who love us more than anything, are the people we can hurt the most, too? I mean, I know for a fact
she would give me the shoes off her feet 1) Because she loves me and 2) So she
wouldn’t have to hear about my sticky feet situation, so why would I be mad at
her? Because she was there? I mean, really. I know I’m not the only one with
that struggle. Taking your anger out on someone who doesn’t deserve it. I’ve
been on both sides of that situation, maybe you have to, and it hurts.
If I had
been by myself, I probably would have just sat there. I probably would have
thought about all of the things that had gone “wrong” in the last few hours,
days, or weeks. I probably would have felt bad for myself and counted how many
times I had been angry in the last few weeks, instead of counting my blessings.
I mean, heck, I was flying back from the best weekend ever with new and old
friends, but I would have put that to the side to think about not getting
enough sleep, my phone being dead, and the fact that my car needs an oil
change. I would have been counting what I saw as defeats, not my countless
blessings.
Sometimes I
wonder if Jesus has a “nervous laugh”. You know the laugh I’m talking about, no
doubt. It’s the laugh I give when I am a guest at someone’s home and the family
tells me they just used their favorite detergent, Lilac and Lavender Fields of
Sunshine, to wash my sheets. I smile and give my nervous laugh, wondering when
it’s the appropriate time to tell them I’m highly allergic to scented detergent
and will have splotchy, itchy skin in the next hour. They’re so gracious and I
just can’t accept it. Obviously, Jesus has no reason to be nervous, I mean look
who we’re talking about here. What is He going to worry about? Drowning? The
Man can walk on water, for Pete’s sake. However, sometimes I wonder if He puts
us in these situations to see how we will react. To see if we will react to
honor Him or to put down others. He presents the situation and HE knows how we’re
going to react before we even do it. If we don’t react in a way that honors
Him, He might let out a nervous laugh and think, “Come on now, you know I’ve
created you to be better than that.” He’s so patient. It’s really an amazing
thing. How can someone be SO PATIENT to people who mess up billions of times a
day? Thank you, God.
So when the
plane finally landed (after more turbulence eek), 11D had about 45 minutes to
make his flight. I passed him and simply said, “I’m sorry about your shoes.”
After I opened my mouth I got a little nervous, thinking…okay what the heck is
he going to say back to me. His words astonished me. He said, “It’s no big
deal, I wish the flight attendants had helped me out a little more, but it’s
totally fine.” I thought to myself "SIR…IT’S NO BIG DEAL?!? YOU HAVE BEEN CUSSING FOR TWO HOURS AND
NOW YOU DECIDE IT’S NO BIG DEAL?!" Wow I was heated, but I thought “Okay, maybe
he actually is nice, just had a moment…we all have those moments.” As things
would have it, it took about 25 minutes for our baggage to come and sweet 11D
let out the remark, “If I get stranded here because of the bullsh*t…” to an
employee of the airport who had legitimately nothing to do with baggage. I
really tried to read this guy and understand him, but he went from funny, to
concerned, to upset, to understanding, back to upset, and about every emotion
in between. I even heard someone say quietly, “That guy was such an a**hole to
the gate agent.” 11D, you are such an enigma.
So, why did
this moment affect me so much? Why did it hit me like a strong punch to the
stomach? Because it was an example, right in front of my face, of God’s love in
action.
You might
be thinking… “Okay, what? How does this story have to do with God’s love in any
way at all?” This situation showed me so many examples of forgiveness. I was in
a mood, 11D was in a mood, the flight attendant was probably in a mood after
getting cussed at, and God loves us and forgives our moods all the time.
God forgives us. This is such an
important thing to remember. I say things I don’t mean, do things incorrectly
all the time, and mess up a million times a day, but God forgives me. He thinks I
am a beautiful child of His creation and that makes me so joyful. He
thinks I am perfect. I think people don’t always know and remember this, and that is why a lot of my friends, loved ones, and even people I don’t know
stray away from the Jesus. We are sinners. We have struggles. God forgives us. Maybe
you’re hurting, struggling with a plethora of addictions, attended church last
in 2004, don’t have a religious family, etc.. Maybe you've made a big mistake and
turned away from religion because you think you’re “not good enough”. God has always
loved you. He knows what we do before we even do it. He FORGIVES us. He wants
us to run to Him with our problems, not take them out on the flight attendant,
or our moms and dads, or our friends. Sometimes we forget it. When I’m mad, I
don’t immediately say “God please help me.” I should, though. I’m going to try
to be so much better about that. I challenge you to do the same. We CAN do it
together.
Forgive others. “Forgiveness is the
final form of love.” – Reinhold Niebuhr
Y’all. Help me on this and I’ll
help you. It takes so much weight off your shoulders when you just forgive.
There are people in my life who I felt have wronged me, hurt me, or betrayed
me. You know what? There are people out there who can say the exact same thing
about me. I traveled to Kenya this summer and we prayed a lot about forgiveness,
and the people who I was not talking to, holding a grudge against, etc…’s names
lit up in my mind like a Broadway sign. I had to say something to these people because it was hurting me to have these feelings of negativity. Try
it. Talk to one person who you feel has wronged you. Even if you can’t settle
what happened, you will know that you tried. I know I am thankful for the
forgiveness people have shown me, so let’s try it. We CAN AND SHOULD forgive
others like Jesus forgives us.
My new favorite quote is by
Theodore Roosevelt. It says, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Try not to
compare yourself to others, because we’re all at different places in life. We
have struggles, we sin, but we can forgive and build each other up in Christ.
Let’s do it. “May your worries be less, your joys be more, and let nothing but
happiness come through your door”…and may your shoes never be filled with
Sierra Mist. If they are, though, I’m sure it was an accident. :)
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
