In Transit

So yesterday I returned to Michigan from a week vacation in Florida to visit my grandparents, and tomorrow I'll begin posting articles about the fun times I had down there. But what my articles leave out is a full 25% of my 8 day trip - flying!

My life usually consists of seeing a small group of people on a daily or weekly basis. Flying from Indiana (South Bend) to Atlanta, spending a few hours in that mammoth on layover, and then flying down to Melbourne (think east central Florida, right by Kennedy Space Center!) exposed me to a much larger cross section of society (and ditto on the way back!). As someone who is fascinated by people and their behavior, these were some really cool opportunities for me.

While South Bend and Melbourne had a few people around, they are pretty small airports with not a whole lot going on. Atlanta, on the other hand, is the busiest airport in the world. 'Nuff said. I have a love/hate relationship with the Atlanta airport. I've grown up in the southeast, and to fly pretty much anywhere you've first got to go through the ATL. I like to joke that Delta should change their motto from "Keep Climbing" to "From Atlanta to Anywhere"! ROFL. With flying through the place so many times already, I know how to get around. It's actually a pretty logical layout, and my logical brain delights in navigating such a logically laid out building. What I don't like is seemingly solid walking walls of people that inhabit the airport walkways whenever I need to get somewhere, so there's a lot of "Excuse me, sorry, thank you!" that goes on. However, as I've flown into Atlanta four times in the last three months, I've pretty much just gotten to the point where I inwardly roll my eyes and plunge into the masses.

Anyways, while experiencing this very different life that I usually don't have I had three realizations that I think have strong analogies in the spiritual realm. So I thought I would share them with you...

1) The security line. I've actually found TSA officials to be a lot friendlier than I remembered, and usually I am able to get through in just a few minutes (yay for planning ahead and reading on the TSA website what is allowed or not!). In short, the security line is basically a filtering process. But not everything is allowed through. You gotta obey the rules. And to say "yes" and accomplish a bigger objective such as flying cross country, you must say "no" to other smaller objectives, such as traveling with guns, pocketknives, or more than 3.4 ounces of liquids in your carry on.

On reflection, this filtering really reminded me of the process that each one of us is going through as we get ready to go to heaven. Going to heaven and living eternally with Jesus is definitely a major, worthy goal to pursue, but you can't just do it your way. You gotta obey the rules that God laid out. That often includes leaving behind items such as cherished sins. Ouch. (they're on the prohibited list?!) To accomplish the major objective, you have to keep your eyes on the prize, keep the big picture in mind, and understand that the "sacrafices" in the here and now are so totally worth it. This idea reminds of me of Hebrews 12:1-3 and Isaiah 41:13.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. 

 
It's so comforting to me to realize that even though selfish me might not want to do this all the time, Jesus is there to help you and me through the security process! God has already given you a seat on His flight to heaven - it's now up to you to work together with Him and decide if you think His rules are worth it to go on this flight. To come to a clearer understanding of what is required to be a passenger to Heaven. Remember, even if the security process may seem a bit harsh (for some reason I always seem to require some extra inspection!!), God knows what is up ahead and what is best for you. He would not be saving you a seat if He did not think you were a valued child of His who has great worth! (more on that in point #3)

2) The idea of being in transit. Every time when I fly and for a few days following, I never feel real settled in one geographical place. In fact, I still feel this way right now as I write. Sure, I am currently in southwest Michigan. But I could eat breakfast here tomorrow, by late morning be in Georgia, and by early afternoon be sunning myself by the beach and Florida palm trees! (grin grin) It usually takes me a while to realize that hey, I'm now doing life here for a while.

This feeling of the possibility of sudden motion and transport is particularly heightened for me as I walk down the loooong concourses of the Atlanta airport. In just a five minute walk I can see planes boarding for Boston, Northwest Arkansas (yes that's an actual airport!!), and Salt Lake City. Even though I know in my head that walking down the jetbridges just places you on a plane, and then it takes several hours to get to the listed destination, in my heart I still feel like I could theoretically walk down any of those jetbridges and almost magically be transported to just about anywhere! (If you haven't picked up yet, I love travel and love dreaming about all the different places that I want to travel to someday!)

But in my head, I know that I have a boarding pass in my coat pocket for Melbourne, Florida, or on the way back, to South Bend, Indiana. I can only go to where my ticket says. And I chose my destination many months ago, with wise counsel from my parents, and so I know ultimately that where I am going is where I really want to go, even though I would love to go see Northwest Arkansas airport someday ;)

This whole scenario really reminds me of the fact in the spiritual realm of how each and everyone of us has a ticket and are headed to a destination right now...either Eternal Life or Eternal Death. The gate agents have made their final call for boarding, and all zones are welcome. We decide our ticket, where we are headed, by what sort of a relationship we chose to have with Jesus. And it's not just one choice, like when I buy a Delta flight online with a credit card, but continual decisions to follow in Jesus' steps moment by moment, day by day, year after year. It's like walking down the jetbridge: you can go so far and still turn back, but at some point, the airline employees will tell you that you have reached the point of no return. You have walked far enough, and by your own choice you are indeed going on that plane! Deuteronomy 30:19-20 and Joshua 24:14-15 comes to mind -

This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years...

Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped...and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

Is the destination your ticket has listed on it a wise choice, a good place to travel to? Might not be a bad idea to double-check, because the boarding doors are soon to be locked. 

3) People. My final big takeaway from flying was just thinking about all the people I encountered. So many people. Coming, going. Where to? Why? What were these people like? What were their family and friends like? What was stressing them out? What religions did they each subscribe to? What was their view of God? Weird as it may seem, just seeing all these masses of people really made me care for them. I prayed for them. I yearned that they would have the peace that passes understanding in this crazy, fast-paced, and social media flashy world (Philippians 4:7). I think I understand just a little bit more of God's perspective now as He looks down at humanity. But my biggest realization of all of this pondering was...each one of these folks is God's special child. They may or may not be in a loving relationship with Him. But He knows each one of them, loves them, and is doing all that He can to bring them to a loving knowledge of Himself. And God graciously allows us a part in His great plan of salvation, using us as we allow Him to bring others closer to Him.

Wow.

Luke 12:6-7 and Maathew 6:25, 32-34 come to mind:

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear...For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

This morning in church the pastor who gave our sermon preached about Paul's evangelism strategy as seen with the Thessalonian church (see 1 Thessalonians 1-3 for details!). He shared that while all the techniques were great, what really motivated Paul was 1) his desire for as many people to be in heaven as possible, and 2) viewing everyone as a child of God, i.e. viewing them from God's perspective and not our own. This sermon really capped off a lot of the thoughts I have been having this past week while flying, and I feel like it was definitely divine leading in the choice of sermon topic and the fact that I chose to go to that specific church today! And those were the events that led to my writing out all my thoughts in this blog post.

***

As much as I love flying, what I love most is who I get to see at the other end. In the morning, my parents or friends will drop me off at the airport, and by days' end I'm in the company of my aunt and uncle or grandparents! The stress and hassle is all worth it for spending quality time with family. In the spiritual realm, it's a published fact who will be receiving the passengers on the Eternal Life and Eternal Death flights. At the end of this journey called life, who's going to be picking you up on the other side?

After eleven flights in the last three months, I've gotten pretty familiar with the standard lectures they give on flights. I know how to fasten my seat belt, where the oxygen mask will pop out from in an emergency, and that the closet exit may be behind me. There are also many signs before landing. About thirty minutes out, the pilot tells the flight attendants to prepare the cabin for arrival. A few minutes later the plane also starts to turn pretty drastically in order to line up for the runway, as opposed to smooth and straight flying. The captain comes on the overhead: "Please put all laptops away, stow carryons under the seat in front of you, and return your tray and seat to their upright positions." The spoilers are extended. The wheels come out. I can see the ground getting nearer...but even though I might see the runway underneath the plane, I still can't pinpoint exactly when we'll touchdown.

Guys, this is the perfect analogy for the second coming. I don't need to point out that the signs are all around us. See Matthew 24 for a refresher. The Captain has come on over the overhead centuries ago with the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation warning exactly of what to expect and what we need to be doing. The time of William Miller has come and gone. The spoilers are out and the wheels are down. We're cruising over the runway already. But still, for those who don't have their seat belts on and their seats in the upright position, landing can be a difficult - even dangerous - experience. But for those who have followed the captain's instructions, landing may be jarring but definitely not impossible to survive.

Heaven is a bucket list destination that you definitely don't want to miss out on. The price is unbeatable, and the experience is literally out of this world. We're landing soon. Are you ready?