Thursday evening I left Amman, Jordan in an unusual snow storm and my flight finally arrived in Istanbul, Turkey…9 hours later. The worst snow they’d had in years was still on the ground but air traffic had resumed.
I’d missed my connecting flight and had no boarding pass to go anywhere else in the terminal. I didn’t know where my luggage was and prospects of getting back to BWI Airport were fading fast.
There was only one thing left to do — practice what I preach!
While I daily choose to follow God, I wasn’t really feeling that at the moment. So, to the best of my ability – I’d slept 1 hour in the past 36 – I told Him I would trust His judgment to get home whenever and however.
He knew best…even if it wasn’t what I wanted, when I wanted it!
God used a guy with broken English to direct me to a counter with no line – just ahead of 50 others from my flight who found my line! My flight home was with another airline and the guy at the counter said he couldn’t get me to BWI that day.
I wasn’t feeling God’s plan at that moment, but regrouped my attitude the best I could.
I suggested a flight to Washington DC. He checked and said, “Maybe DC, but I can’t connect you to Baltimore from there.” I assured him that would be just fine for this Frederick, Maryland boy!
He said stay here – there’s a flight this hour to DC on a different airline…and then he started dealing with others in line.
I didn’t feel like waiting around – I needed to do something! I had to remind myself that God was still in charge.
Standing there, I saw others looking as confused as I was, so I offered them some direction about what they could do. Interesting, the more support I offered others, the better I started feeling about my own situation!
I even decided that getting home the next day would be okay, too!
Then the guy at the counter said, “Here, take this and go now!”
It’s a bit of a blur…but I made that flight and managed, from 30,000 feet, to call my wife at work (at $9.99 a minute) and tell her different airport, different city, different time!
It was a lot later and without my luggage, but I got home. And I’ll always trust God for everything…till the next time things don’t go my way!
Always and Only One Day at a Time,
Pastor Gary Byers
Deputy Director