Questions & Complaints While Flying Home

Yesterday my friend Wes came over early bringing me some pipe tobacco I needed and a DVD movie he wants me to watch. We talked a bit about his family's history and publishing his grandfather’s autobiography.

We went out to breakfast at Dave’s Diner where Wes told me about a squabble going on at the church he attends. He said that when he gets to Heaven, he wants to ask God about such things.

That set me to thinking about what questions I might ask.

I thought of this and that, but before long I realized that questions and complaints are for the journey – not for the arrival.

My mind drew the analogy of an airplane flight.

In the terminal waiting room, I have all kinds of questions. Will I get bumped? What time does the plane leave? Will I get a window seat? What’s for dinner? Why this long line at security? …

Here’s a dumb aside that has nothing to do with what I’m talking about:

There was this stewardess checking passengers onto an airplane. She asked this weird guy in the line, “Sir, may I see your ticket?” The pervert flipped open his black overcoat and flashed her. Unperturbed the stewardess said, “Sir, I asked to see your ticket, not your stub”.

Anyhow, getting back to my analogy:

On an air trip I also have a lot of concerns and complaints. That PA system garbles the announcements; I can’t hear what flight they’re calling. I feel airsick. That baby two rows back won’t stop crying. The fat guy beside me hogs the armrest. Bet they’re gonna loose my luggage. The air conditioning is too hot. … and on and on

But, once I reach my final destination the only thing that matters is who is there to meet me.

My questions, concerns and complaints – all perhaps legitimate in their place – no longer matter.

Jim Elliot, a missionary killed by the Auca Indians of Ecuador, once said, “No one in Heaven will complain about anything they lacked on earth”.

The things that concern us now on the trip will just fade when we are greeted. The greatest problem, the most aggravating person, the scariest fear – all forgotten like last Thursday morning’s radio traffic report.

The only thing that matters is who greets us.

At our final destination we shall see Light. Light that shines with such bright splendor we can see nothing else. All that once mattered and seemed important now fades to insignificance.

We’re likely to prostrate ourselves to kiss his nail-scared feet, and his nail-scared hands will raise us up and he’ll say something like, “Welcome! Welcome! I hear you had a rough trip. I’m glad you’re home now”.

We’ll have no questions. No complaints.

We shall see The King in His beauty, and we shall be …

Satisfied!

I wanted to end with that last word, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t say something about crashing and burning. We don’t want to do that. Yet there’s not a one of us who doesn’t think we can run this airline better than the present CEO. We’re not content to be passengers, so we wrest the controls out of our Captain’s hands. That’s not too smart. There’s a reason we need a Savior. Enough said?

Oh, the DVD Wes brought me is a remake of a Sherlock Holmes story, Hound of the Baskervilles. I’ll tell you about it when I’ve seen it. Bet it makes a great in-flight movie.