Last weekend found me leaning against a concrete pillar while waiting to board my flight. When the delay turned lengthy, the concrete pillar gave my physical weigh to the way of God supporting my spiritual stance.
While the anxious crowd was growing more self-centered, the crux of my heart was drawn to a wife/mother, her husband and her young daughter. My initial thought was regret that I wasn’t sitting, so I could have given this woman a chair in which to collapse. She was maybe in her late thirties and heavily dependent on a brightly colored cane accented with a meadow of flowers. A smile crossed my face as I assigned its selection to her preteen daughter. My grin turned to a frustrated frown as I witnessed not a sole worldly traveler giving up their comfortable seat to this heaven-bound soul journeyer. Her husband, holding secure the only rest haven available, she caved down onto her carry-on suitcase. Her head tumbled onto the cane she was grasping.
As my heart ached for this suffering sister in Christ, my soul realized when mankind becomes self-centered in “I”, their eyes are blind to any genuine need beyond their imagined wants. Why, God, has our human race abandoned stopping to help others and, instead, runs after self (and selfish) fulfillment?
While the boarding delay lengthened, another challenge presented itself to this family. This suffering wife/mother laboriously rose in need of the rest room. Her husband realized he could not escort her and be the foundation anchor she required. Instinctively, and immediately, the daughter became the support her mother needed. Though intent on assisting her mom, this young girl, also, understood her father’s worry. With an assuring smile of love radiating from her eyes, this Godly daughter turned to her dad. Her helping hand slid into a fist. Her petite thumb staunchly rose upward and flashed the message “I’ve got this, dad”. Her father, holding back welled up emotion, shook his head in thanksgiving.
Inconvenienced adults, trapped in self-pity, were oblivious to what had just unfolded. My spirit sighed as I deep down realized that it’s impossible for society to be grateful and often yields to being hateful, when they’ve chosen to focus on trivial trials and overlook the plight of critical tribulations.
No longer did I pity the weakened warrior fighting to survive, her loving husband or her “thumb’s up” daughter. Instead, I felt sorry for the self-centered crowd who deprived themselves of grasping the picture of reality of how truly blessed they are.
As I finally boarded the plane and tightened my seatbelt, I thanked God for buckling my life with my mother who instilled in me that “life is fragile, so handle it with prayer” and my father who taught me “not to look but to see”. Additionally, I asked God to guide and guard His inspiring warrior wife/mother, her loving husband and her “thumb’s up” daughter.
“He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40: 29-31 (ESV).
Uplifted in a Broken Down World 