Recently, I was in Toms River, New Jersey with two of my kids visiting my mom. We walked on the boardwalk, ate pizza at the Sawmill in Seaside Heights and watched my old high school win a football game. I also got to see some friends I grew up with, but hadn’t seen in years. And I was able to show my kids where I grew up in Brick Township.
My daughter, Amy, got to practice her German with my mom who speaks it fluently.
So a week ago at this time, we were getting ready to drive back to Philadelphia for our flight to Charlotte and then our connecting flight to Northwest Arkansas. Things started out smoothly…
We arrived at the airport in plenty of time. We checked-in, went through security and had dinner before our 7:25 p.m. flight. The flight to Charlotte, NC was uneventful. In Charlotte, we had an hour or so before our flight home. At our gate, I ran into a friend who was heading home after a business trip. We boarded on time, took off and were about ninety minutes into our flight when the captain made an announcement.
He said there was heavy fog around the airport and visibility was down to a quarter mile. To land, he said they needed visibility of at least a half mile. At this point, we were probably within twenty or thirty minutes of landing, but he said we were going to head back to Charlotte. When we deplaned in Charlotte, US Airways had agents at the gate calling out names and giving us our updated itineraries.
My friend’s new flight left two days later. Another guy was booked on the same flight only the next night. I wasn’t holding out much hope for what we’d get, but a minute later my name was called. They had re-booked us on Delta for the next morning at 7:15 a.m., which would get us home to Northwest Arkansas before noon. We were given a discounted hotel room and finally got into bed around 1:45 a.m. Our shuttle back to the airport was at 5:00 a.m., so we set our alarms for 4:40.
After a couple hours of sleep, we returned to the airport in Charlotte and boarded our flight to Cincinnati. Everything was again going well. At the start.
Our flight from Cincinnati departed on time and an hour or so later, we were beginning our descent into Northwest Arkansas. And that’s when the captain made his announcement. The fog from the previous night hadn’t lifted yet, so we were unable to land. He said we were going to circle in the area and wait for it to lift.
Those aren't clouds, that's the ground fog covering the airport.
I’m not sure how long we circled, but it was long enough for the captain to make another announcement. He said we were safe, but were beginning to run low on fuel. So we turned to the west and headed toward Tulsa where we would refuel. By the time we landed in Tulsa, refueled and made it back to Northwest Arkansas, the fog had lifted and we landed safely.
When we’re in the midst of a fog, it’s tough to see. Planes can’t land. Drivers can’t see ahead. People can’t even walk. A friend was telling me that his wife had gone out for a walk that Monday morning when the fog was still in place. It was so thick, she had to go back home because she was afraid of bumping into something. My wife, Robyn, could only go 25 mph on her way to pick us up.
How do you respond when you find yourself in the fog?
Whether it’s something minor like a delayed flight or something major like cancer or being laid off from your job, you and I have a choice. We can believe God is still good, loving, faithful and all-powerful and can work in the midst of whatever circumstances we find ourselves in or we can panic, get angry or become discouraged.
God’s vision isn’t limited by the fog you’re in today. He still sees. He still knows what He’s doing. He knows exactly when the fog will lift. And until it does, He will walk you through it. You’re never alone. He never expects you to figure things out on your own.
In Matthew 16, Jesus told His disciples it was necessary for Him to go to Jerusalem where He’d suffer and be killed, but come back to life on the third day. Peter pulls Jesus aside and reprimands Him for talking like that. Here’s how Jesus replies:
Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
Why did Jesus react so strongly to Peter? Wasn’t Peter just trying to look out for a friend? Get away from me, Satan? Peter is a dangerous trap?
Like Peter, it’s easy for us to view life from merely a human point of view, not from God’s. When we do, we not only lose our peace, but we fail to see the plan God is working out around us. And His plan always takes precedence over our plan.
What if rather than asking God to remove our difficult circumstances (which is always what I want him to do!), you and I chose to trust Him to take us through the fog and accomplish His greater plan in our lives?