From Half Empty to Overflowing

I have learned the secret of

being content in any and every situation,

whether well fed or hungry,

whether living in plenty or in want.

I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

—Philippians 4:12-13

After 33 minutes on hold, I finally got a real live agent. “I would like your honest opinion,” I said. “My flight has been delayed twice. Do you believe the plane will actually leave at 11:33 p.m. tonight as currently scheduled, or do you think it will be cancelled?”

I am a planner who prefers reservations. Plane reservations. Dinner reservations. Theater reservations. You name it. If I can book in advance (preferably taking advantage of an early bird special), I will. Flying by the seat of my pants makes me uncomfortable.

I knew there was a strong chance that the plane I was scheduled to take home would be delayed or even cancelled. I had done my homework. Major storms were rolling into the Washington, DC area and, according to the Internet, approximately half of the flights in and out of the airports in Virginia were being delayed, rerouted, or cancelled. Nonetheless, I got to the Detroit airport two hours before my flight just in case everything went according to plan—which it didn’t. The agent I spoke with earlier assured me that my flight would leave that night, but an hour later, it was canceled.

Normally, I would jump into action by calling the airline while getting in line with the other disgruntled passengers to be rebooked. But this time, I stayed seated, watched, and waited.

I had just come off of a 3-day retreat for Christian writers and speakers where nothing felt rushed or required. My spirit was calm, and I was reluctant to merge back into the chaos of the world. Therefore, I held back as people fretted, complained, and went away frustrated or angry.

Paul wrote in Colossians 3:2, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” This is what I tried to do as I waited. I prayed for better weather and thanked God for whatever he had planned for me. Though I pride myself on being organized, this was one situation I could not control. Storms had recently claimed the lives of children in Texas, and heavy rains had caused flooding in both New Jersey and New York. If God wanted to keep me grounded for another day, who was I to complain?

When the line to the ticket counter had all but disappeared, I approached the tired looking agent and gave her a weak smile. Surprisingly, she smiled back. “Is Washington home for you or are you visiting?” she asked.

“It’s home,” I answered.

Airlines aren’t required to compensate passengers for cancellations due to inclement weather, nor are they inclined to book passengers on other airlines, but this is what the ticket agent did for me—even though I hadn’t asked. She booked me on another carrier’s early morning flight, reserved a hotel room for me that had 24-hour shuttle service to the airport, and handed me two meal vouchers to boot—one for dinner and one for breakfast. Getting home a day later meant I would have to cancel a dentist appointment and rebook a meeting, but these are first world problems I was grateful to have.

God knew what I needed, and he provided, even though I didn’t deserve any of it. Jesus said, “Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34). If God cares for the birds of the air who “do not sow or reap or store away in barns” (Matthew 6:26), why would I doubt his care for me?

I was the lone passenger in the hotel van, and the driver was working a 12-hour shift. Therefore, the conversation we started on the way to the hotel wrapped up on the drive back to the airport in the morning when we were both extremely tired. Though the driver was a Muslim, we talked about Jesus, and when I exited the van, he blessed me.

Using one of my meal vouchers, I got in the short line to purchase breakfast at Chick-fil-A. There I had the honor of blessing the young man who served me. When I got my food, I noticed the line had grown in length and was halfway down the corridor. My timing was perfect.

Before my flight got cancelled, I had planned to take a cab home from the airport, but when I was rebooked into a different airport, I had to rely on the metro to get me closer to home. As fate would have it, my girlfriend whom I hadn’t seen in almost a month was between trips herself and available to pick me up at the train station. Having time with her was a bonus blessing.

As many of you know, I’m a type A personality. People expect me to take charge, and I am usually happy to do so. However, blessings came in abundance when I relinquished control to God. Only then could I echo the words of Paul when he wrote this sentence from a jail cell, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation” (Philippians 4:11). Things may not have gone as I planned, but I am overflowing with gratitude for how things turned out.

SHARING A FAVORITE SONG: The Lord Will Provide by Passion, Landon Wolfe

Favorite lyric: “Everything I need, my Father has it. My Father has it. And every single time, the Lord will provide.”