Between picking up teams, dropping off volunteers and
friends and personal travel, I seem to be spending a lot of time in airports
lately. Aside from a large mall,
there’s probably no better people-watching location around.
Oh the people: Gussied up ladies, business men in their
polished best, harried, thrown-together outfits, kids with electronics, books,
food…anything that will keep them occupied, unoccupied kids, running wild down
the corridors. You literally never
know what you’re going to witness.
It’s wonderful!
Our local airport is set up with two levels, one for
arrivals, the other for departures.
A quick escalator ride separates them but they are vastly different.
On the arrivals floor there are “welcome” signs, hugs,
cheering, flowers and occasionally drums and dancing (yes, drums and dancing). There are also tears – warm, happy,
relief-filled tears. It’s normally
a joy-filled environment.
On the departure floor it’s a different story. There are
awkward handshakes, grief, anxious looks, kisses, long, afraid-to-let-go
embraces and tears. The tears are
of the red-eyed, sorrowful, unrelenting variety here. Normally it’s a joy-vacuum.
How interesting that only a few steps separate such
different atmospheres. It’s the
same architecture, the same signage, the same equipment and personnel, even the
same air conditioning. What’s the
difference? Maybe it’s
the experience, maybe the perspective.
Aren’t our lives very much like this, especially when our
journey plunges into the valley?
Darkness, like a sick loved one, a relationship gone sour, financial
crisis, or
anything that brings suffering comes our way. How we handle these days is a great
indicator of our perspective. Of
course we feel pain. Of course we
struggle. Yes, questioning and doubt is normal, just like tears at the
airport. However our outlook is
unchanged. God’s sovereignty is
unwavering and we are His.
Check out the world around us. View the pain of those in the valley and witness their
reaction. Are they arriving or
departing? How about you? Lately I’ve been convicted that my
perspective is too easily altered.
What comes out of me when I’m squeezed? What do I become when exposed to the refinery’s flames? I want my life to be a constant witness
to the goodness of God regardless of my circumstances. May He receive the glory whether I’m
arriving or departing.
A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an
evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.
Matt.12:35
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