Sept 8, 2025 – Connections
I’M BAAAACK! And, by that, I mean that my long-winded writing is back! Ha ha
I started writing this blog in the Orlando airport Sunday morning but saw that my battery wasn’t going to hold out to finish; and, since I had left my computer cord at Carrie’s, I just packed up my computer and pulled out a book. At the DC airport Saturday afternoon when Carrie text’d me that I’d left the cord behind, I didn’t think I’d need to be concerned about charging my computer during the trip because I thought I’d get on that 4:30pm Southwest flight in DC, fly through Orlando, and be home before 9pm. But that’s not what happened.
When I canceled my direct flight on American last Wed, so I could stay a few extra days with Carrie, I had the choice between an 11:30am flight Saturday through Dallas with 7plus hours of travel or the 4:30pm flight through Orlando with 4plus hours of travel. Four hours of travel seemed the better choice but also the later flight gave me extra time with Carrie and her fiancé (and my granddog Mote) on Saturday which we used to go to a delicious lunch at an Afghani restaurant called Lapis, definitely one to put on your list if you’re ever in DC. We had Bolani (Afghan flat bread filled with lentils and something else), Mantoo shrimp dumplings in a saffron cream sauce (oh my), lamb chops (which I’ve never had because I hate thinking of the lamb, but wow were they good), and pistachio layer cake.
I chose the Orlando route, not just because of extra time in DC, but also because a friend had had weather delays through Dallas the weekend before. Plus, my neighbor was in Orlando working and visiting her daughter’s family; so, I thought if I ran into any travel issues, she could help me. Why did I think I’d have travel issues? I really can’t think of any travel issues that I’ve had in all of my years of plane travel. I’ve been offered vouchers if I’d give up my seat on a crowded flight, but I don’t think I’ve ever been delayed and had to spend the night unexpectedly in an interim city.
However…..The Holy Spirit knew what was ahead for me no matter what choice I made; and, I’m having a difficult time deciding whether I chose the path He whispered to me or if I missed His whisper and He had to work things out for my good (see Romans 8:28). Either way, it’s really uplifting (and surprising) when I can look past the moment and see Him at work. The looking past hasn’t always come lightning-fast for me though. There has usually been quite a bit of lamenting and second-guessing which I hope I’m maturing past.
As we were boarding the plane in DC, a light rain started; and, when they closed the “forward exit door”, the downpour locked us in to a two hour wait in the plane on the tarmac (which made our arrival in Orlando later than the take off for my connecting flight to Birmingham). Interestingly, I wasn’t frustrated about the delay, like I typically would have been in the past, and didn’t realize until later in the evening that we had sat there waiting for two hours.
I had books to read, solitaire on my phone, and two different issues of Women’s World magazine that kept me quite entertained. Plus, I enjoyed talking some with the woman in my row who happened to have raised her children in Va Beach (where I grew up). I was calm in the airplane (and only wondered about the weather in Dallas rather than berating myself for not taking the earlier flight through Dallas). But, it took me a hot minute (on the verge of tears) once we landed in Orlando to figure out what to do next because, when I turned on my phone, there was a text from Southwest indicating that they’d rebooked me on a 10:30am flight Sunday CONNECTING IN BALTIMORE (??) that wouldn’t get me home ‘til Sunday evening. It would almost be like flying back to DC to fly home! My row partner, who wasn’t scrambling for options because Orlando was her final destination, looked up flight options for me and saw that there was a 10am direct flight on Sunday – but that it was full.
I felt quite alone when I stepped off the ramp into the terminal, not really having anywhere to go for 13 hours, but then I sensed that Divine whisper reminding me about my neighbor (and friend) and prompting me to check with the seemingly tired gate agent. After looking for what seemed too long, she confirmed that the 10am flight was full and told me the 10:30 long travel day was my only option. When I pushed (nicely), she found two other options (but wouldn’t budge on providing a hotel room): a 7am flight through Houston or a 4:30pm direct flight to Birmingham. With people lining up behind me, I decided on the 4:30 flight and walked away feeling so unsettled.
I made a couple of calls, the first to God, and then calmly (because of the Whisper) sat down and looked at the flight options and went back to that gate desk and asked to be switched to the 9:05am flight through Nashville that she hadn’t offered. The decision was made and I felt settled, except that my friend was disappointed that I wouldn’t be staying for the day so we could sit by the pool (which she hadn’t gotten to do yet during her visit). I told her even if I was able to get my suitcase, I hadn’t brought a bathing suit, but that the Holy Spirit had prompted me to pack a pair of underwear in my carry-on bag. Years ago, when I traveled more, I’d take a change of clothes and medicine and toiletries “just in case”, but I guess I’ve gotten spoiled by successful travel. The Holy Spirit knew, and I at least heeded part of His warning! My friend wouldn’t let me Uber to or from her daughter’s house; so, we had a nice visit in the car and at the house Saturday evening.
After I got settled at my gate Sunday morning, a couple sat across from me and when I heard her say the word “standby”, I remembered that I was going to have at least checked at the Birmingham gate to see if I could get on standby for the 10am direct flight. On the way over to that gate, I thanked the Holy Spirit for the prompting and prayed for a seat on that plane!! I almost cried when the gate agent handed me a new boarding pass. I didn’t even care that I was in the last boarding group on a full plane. I had a seat and of all things, the middle seat in the second row hadn’t been taken by ALL of the people who had boarded ahead of me.
I slipped my bag under the seat in front of me and didn’t realize, until we landed, that the woman next to me (who never put her bag under her seat even when the flight attendant tried to help her) didn’t speak English and she questioningly said something that sounded like “Houston”. Uhhh, nope. I understood that sinking feeling she must have had which was compounded by the language barrier. After some confusing moments and hearing the woman speak in Vietnamese to someone on the phone, the flight attendants realized that the plane (with a different crew) would be going on to Houston. I was relieved that I didn’t have someone else’s travels to be concerned about and was able to get off the plane ahead of the crowd behind me and get on home!
My point in telling this long story is to show how the Holy Spirit is always there for us. We truly are never alone. We don’t have to be anxious or panic. He wants us to call on Him to help us to be calm and think through things to the solutions He has for us!
On to the devotions for the 8th:
Utmost – 2 Corinthians 10:5 – “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God.” Chambers writes, “The warfare is not against sin; we can never fight against sin: Jesus Christ deals with sin in Redemption. The conflict is along the line of turning our natural life into a spiritual life, and this is never done easily, nor does God intend it to be done easily. It is done by a series of moral choices.” This makes me think of all that happened with the flights. Earlier versions of me would have been impatient and rethinking things that could have been handled differently, justifying my useless ruminating as helping me with future situations.
This also makes me think of the birthing process – sorry, but it does – AI Google explains that, as the baby goes through the birth canal, “the pressure helps expel fluid from the baby’s lungs and introduces beneficial bacteria that support the newborn’s immune system.” With a cesarean birth, “a baby expels residual fluid through coughing, swallowing, and absorption by the bloodstream and lymphatic system.” So there is a divine plan either way for the baby to survive, but the seemingly more difficult route perhaps clears the issues more efficiently…either way, we have to go through a process of clearing out what is not needed to get on to the next season of life….physically and spiritually. Chambers concludes with, “We can either go back and make ourselves of no account in the kingdom of God, or we can determinedly demolish these things and let Jesus bring another son to glory.”
JC – “Accept each day as it comes to you [I really did consciously try to do that when I felt locked in that plane with no end in sight]. By that, I mean not only the circumstances of your day, but also the condition of your body.” This morning I went for my pre-op appointment for my shoulder surgery. I don’t really want to do this because I don’t want to be incapacitated for months and have scars on my shoulder, but the pain has increased so I know I need to do it; and, based on what others say, I will eventually be glad I did it. “Your assignment is to trust Me absolutely….I will infuse My strength into you moment by moment….” Ok.
Power – “Jesus didn’t frequently go to the Mount of Olives [see Luke 22:39] because He liked mountain climbing. He went there to pray….Seeking and spending time with God is your most vital need.” I’m so glad that I got to be mom again and take care of Carrie, but I have missed this more in-depth time with Him that is part of my days in this season of my life.
