aeropuerto!

I’m sitting at DFW airport at 7:15 on a Friday morning. I love Dallas. I love looking out of the windows and see cars whizzing by on the highway and knowing I spent so much time in this area as a little girl. This was the place that was home away from home, grandma lives literally 10 minutes from this spot. The airport is not extremely busy for what I would expect the usual weekend traffic to be. Possibly this is due to the economy, rising flight costs, or declining trust in air transportation. Just a thought. I’m a people watcher. I’m sitting at a McDonald’s right in the middle of D terminal, I must note I am not a fan of McDonald’s itself, but my roommate is rather obsessed with the mcgriddle and I decided I needed to figure out what this fuss is about. I had a choice this morning with a two hour layover. Ride the sky train round and round, a much amusing hobby I’ve had since a youngster, sit and read my book at my gate, or find a central location and participate in what I would call research for my degree. Ok that’s exaggerating, but I do find the many things I’ve learned in classes to be true such as the social norms we discussed in my sociology class. For instance, There are somewhere around 30 tables at this little McDonalds and around 15 people or set of people. Every other table is conveniently skipped and I not wanting to disrupt the world’s natural cycle at this time of morning obediently took my place two tables away from the nearest person and down at the end. We are indeed quite predictable creatures. I see the interactions of an old couple obviously pros as far as the area of marriage is concerned. The elderly gentleman follows his wife to a table makes sure she is comfortably seated and then proceeds to the counter where he orders for them both and without a look backward or discussion fixes the coffee for her, I’m sure just the way she likes it. They sit and eat breakfast as I’m sure they’ve done a million times before, him with a newspaper, her with a book, taking their time. Then there is the working man most likely money driven and overworked as he hurries to the counter, orders quickly, lays down a twenty for a cup of coffee and rushes off pulling his wheeled briefcase briskly behind him balancing coffee in one hand and a cell phone between his ear and shoulder. I regret that many don’t have the pleasure of enjoying life at its simplest moments. In an air port with nothing but time and interactions to analyze, it’s here I find most at peace short of being in a prayer closet, worship service, or teaching.

Life can be confusing can’t it? I am a twenty-one year old female blessed beyond imagination. I find that in these moments that fact hits me more than it does, in just a normal day in the life. Sadly. See a normal day in the life, I’m able to wake up and know that I am loved, I own a house, I have clothes all over my floor, I have a dog, I take a hot shower, I spend time w/ the Lord, I get to eat breakfast, I check facebook on my new laptop, I call my mom on my above average cell phone, I drive my car to college, College- less than 3% of the entire world get to pursue higher education, I learn about things that I enjoy with professors that interest me, I walk into lunch among at least 30 people, at least, that I know are my friends, I get to work w/ under privileged children, I get to be involved in college ministry, youth ministry, bible studies, I have a job that though rough is fulfilling and supplies my financial needs, and then there are times like these, that it’s been a rough week for more than one reason and I’m able to call my Dad and tell him I want to come home and he buys an over priced plane ticket the day before I want to leave so that he can take me away from a comparably not so horrible week in the grand scheme of things. I am the definition of spoiled.

I say these things in revelation. Revelation of a message that touched the surface last night, but is hitting home right now. My mentor and friend, Annette spoke on faith. The topic of faith is one I greatly enjoy learning and discussing, in all honesty it can be as shallow or as deep as you decide you want to go with it. I know I have faith. I believe I have strong faith. I have faith that everything written in the Word of God is true, and it wasn’t just true for then, it’s true for me, now. I know that God has and will use His people to bring about His will on this earth, and I have no room to doubt myself when I am willing to go where He calls. I have no doubt that He is provider, protector, redeemer, and friend. But, what good is faith if we do not choose to activate it, to live in it, to use it? I will not hesitate to go pray for someone as I am led, I do not hesitate to be calm in the midst of tribulation, but this week has not only been trials, tribulations, excitement, blessing, it has come with surprise and confusion. There is where I have lost my faith. I allowed myself for a good hour yesterday to try and contemplate how I would handle a situation, how I would fix a problem, and I totally disregarded who my God is. That is not lack of faith, that is making a choice to not use faith. How ironic, must it be that in this night Annette spoke of faith, the faith that last in past, present, and future. Not forgetting the God who turned my life around, the God who has seen me through all the trials, tribulations, attacks, failures, and disappointments of my past. This is when my faith was activated. Activated to say God I repent, You are the I AM. The Everything I need, in the midst of my confusion you are not confused, you are not surprised, you are not taken aback, you sit on your throne, and you remain reigning Holy and Sovereign, my Love, My God.

If everyone had time to sit, to observe, to think, to process, to allow God to pour into them, imagine the possibilities. Possibilities that slowed down to go the pace of a God who is not limited by time at all. His promises come through in time that cannot always be kept on a clock, watch, or calendar. His grace is displayed in an amount that is immeasurable by any device we can create and His love abounds throughout a person with a touch that cannot be duplicated. Oh my God. I have faith in you. You are faithful when I am faithless. I trust you.

The McGriddle was good- I’ll probably by another one someday, the people watching was calming- I will take time when available to enjoy this, the revelation was life changing- and there is much more to come. I wish there was more time taken for layovers.

J. Tate
Jess.a.tate@blogspot.com