On a jet plane

I have made it home, back to America. Adjusting to life slowly, I don't feel quite like myself. It has been good to be home and around family and friends but there have definitely been some things here in America that have slapped me in the face.

Getting home was one of the craziest travel experiences I have ever had. Now, while I haven't traveled a ton I have traveled enough to know that what we experienced at the airport was NOT a normal experience. To say the least, it was two of the most exhausting days I have had in a long time.

To start off our travel back to America Anna and I had an outbound flight together to Frankfurt last Friday morning at 5:30 am. In Frankfurt we were supposed to "break up" and head separate ways so I could come back to Vegas and Anna could end up in DC. We decided that it would be best to not sleep on Thursday night because it would just mean waking up at 2am on Friday morning to get ready and jump in a taxi a little after 3. After hanging out with our best friends for the last time on Thursday night we came back to the apartment, finished packing, got showers and Anna made our roommates some cinnamon rolls. Then, loaded all of our luggage (4 huge pieces, 2 small pieces and 2 carry-ons) and ourselves into a very small taxi and sped off to the airport. We arrived a little after 3:30am to immediately find out that our flight had been cancelled. We stood in line for a while to get re-routed on different flights to try and get us home. Standing around here wasn't too bad because we had the company of each other and our good friends. I was thankful for the efficiency of the ticket agent who got us booked onto a new flight fairly quickly that still allowed me to catch my connection to Vegas. Anna and I would not be flying anywhere together, but we were OK with that as long as we made it home.

There were a total of 8 of us in the airport that day and all of us ended up having scattered departure times so we hung around in Gloria Jeans for a while talking and having fun until it was time for everyone to slowly make their way to the gate. My original 5:30am flight had been moved to an 11:30 am take off time, meaning I had a good 6 hours to chill in the airport. For a while there a couple of us were having to argue with ticket agents about checking in and luggage allowances all while trying to make sure that we would make our connections- because no one wanted to get caught in the airport. That morning I easily talked to 15 different airport employees who passed me from window to window because no one wanted to help answer my questions or check me into my new flight. It was early in the morning and all of us were a little on the tired side having been up for close to 24 hours at this point, emotions were running a little high. At one point, while trying to comfort a friend who was having a very difficult time with getting her luggage checked, I looked at her and told her that it didn't matter, that no matter how stressful this day seemed or all that we had to do to get on those planes that in the end it wouldn't matter. Because, in 24 hours we would be standing on the other side of the world, back in America hugging our families for the first time in months.

This was the best way that I knew how to comfort her or to ease some of the tension and nervousness we were feeling, when in reality I was a little shaken about the whole day myself. And in the midst of all of the confusion, the Lord just whispered to me "That it how you should view the world." In the end it won't matter-because at the end of our lives we will finally be HOME. We will be standing in heaven, hugging Jesus as He takes our burdens from us one last time. We will be thanking Him that He brought us through the mass confusion of life with all the tears, hurts and hiccups that it throws us. Just like I was encouraging my friends to keep their eyes fixed on seeing their families at the end of the day of traveling, the Lord was encouraging me to keep my eyes fixed on Him and the day we will meet face to face.

Hebrews 12:2

²fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Now, because of this moment with the Lord I wish I could say that everyone had a smooth trip home with no problems. This was not the case. I ended up sitting in the airport for 6 hours, being awake for almost 48 hours, running through an airport to catch my connection and paying over $200 to get my bags home. And, I had the smoothest travel experience of them all. There were cancelled flights, lost luggage, missed flights, getting stuck in airports and late arrivals with 6 of the others and Anna ended up being stuck overseas for 2 whole days after our original departure date- meaning she didn't get home to her family until Sunday. To say the least, it was a rough time getting home.

Life is like this. The things that should be smooth- aren't. Stuff you think you have figured out falls apart at the last minute. Life isn't fair. It can be hard and painful. Some days it feels you are in a war and that nothing could go right. What got me through that day was knowing that when I got off the plane in Vegas my family would be waiting for me. What if we lived our lives each day knowing that in the end we will stand face to face with our Creator and used that as our motivation to live for Him and to fight for joy when life gets difficult?

Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.