Sitting at the airport waiting for my flight north to Europe and then off to the States, I decided to experiment with my newly acquired hobby. I would find some sort of meaning out of all this useless behavior. I would apply some higher thought to all this and follow the trail that inspiration takes me on.
What would the Nude Reality be here in this spacious monstrosity called an airport?
People hustling here and there, some rushing and others trying to absorb time with movements so slow you might not realize they’re moving at all. Calls over the intercom -"Could passenger so-and-so please report at gate..." is for those who get lost in action. Clearly the pace of the one in front of you is inversely proportionate to how late you are.
As I move to gate A12, two young ladies pass me in the opposite direction, questioning each other on how it could have been possible for them to have missed their boarding time. They seemed young and inexperienced, and I wondered if they realized that their luggage probably didn't have the same confusion and made it just fine. That will leave their possessions lonesome at an airport other than the one they will be finding themselves at. This mistake might be more significant than either of them realize.
This sadly common occurrence reminds me of our last flight out of here. Matthew was kind enough to record a final trial before that momentous flight.
Strange how life mimics spiritual lessons. In fact, to me it becomes increasingly clear that the many life lessons Jesus taught, he taught out of his own common experience. Life's like that - to not see God actively engaged in it is to go through the motions with the clutch disengaged.
At this pre-board trial passports and visas were confirmed. Many had their bags packed for the journey to eternity, but only a select group would actually travel the distance - mostly the ones that came without baggage. You see - at this trial Jesus separates the sheep from the goats (that's code for the citizens from the aliens). The criteria seem simple. Were you engaged in the task laid before you, or was that brand new clutch plate burnt? Did you feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit those in need? Because when you travel in gear, you do these things to Jesus when you do them to the least of men.
The Bible tells us that first the dead in Christ will be raised to witness that glorious moment and see the Lord of lords triumphant return on the clouds of heaven. They will rise and meet Him in the air. With bodies made new and perfect, they will be their best when they meet up with their Savior.
Alive in Christ means dead to the world, but not disengaged from the world. Alive in Christ is to be actively engaged in the world. To be light where there is darkness and love there where there is none.
After several flights and layovers, I am on the last leg of my journey, a short flight to Medford where my brother will fetch me for the 1h30 drive to Roseburg. There I will participate in a trial. Right and wrong, guilt and innocence will be judged, and rewards will be given. In my case, I am dependent upon the skills of a lawyer and the discernment of a judge, both of which are simply sinful and human.
In the trial of the future I have the testimony of my Friend and the love of my Father. (You know how they say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder? Well, innocence is in the blood of the Lamb.) The Man they called Emmanuel, the one who died for my guilt, stands before the Father and testifies that I am with Him. When the Judge loves you from the first moment he laid eyes on you, you can trust His judgment will have no error. Here is no fallibility at play; here each one will get his just reward.
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2 comments:
I like your rule of the pace of the one in front of you!
And you’re right, God uses object lessons all the time. I think I need a little practice in look for them in everything, though.
Cute analogy that the ones who come without baggage are the ones who will travel the distance. Actually, I think we all come with tons of baggage – it’s the ones who are willing to check it all in, knowing that the airline WILL lose it all – who make it. Those who want to keep it all as carry-ons to make sure it arrives at their destination with them will be overwhelmed and unable to move fast enough to catch the flight.
You lost me a little on the jump between “dead in Christ” and “alive in Christ” paragraphs; each makes sense on its own, but I’m not sure the connection, and in fact both describe the same set of people, but one is literal death and the other is spiritual life. Or was this a play on words that a non-SA wouldn’t get?!
And thank God we are not dependent on your lawyer in the trial of the future!
I have a different take on the baggage idea... I think that it is the ones who have the most baggage and recognise it as exactly that, that will go the distance.
I understand grace more fully because of my baggage. I realise just how desperately I need grace and just how much His death on the cross means for me. This means that baggage is in fact a very precious part of a fulfilled life in Him. It is the baggage that leads me to the cross. It is the baggage that awakens me to the reality that I cannot carry it alone and that I need Him. In losing the baggage, I lose a very important piece in the puzzle and inadvertently I lose my need to be saved. So I will go to great lengths to find it and to make sure that it does get checked in.
The flip side of this is that I become obsessed with the baggage and it hinders the flight which is what the discussion has centered on. Like all else in life, it is an art to master the balance through His Spirit. The Spirit reminds me of the baggage and brings me to the cross. He teaches me how to hold on just enough to remain in right relation to my Saviour but He also teaches me how to let go enough to fully value the price Christ paid, knowing that my baggage will reach the other side and be transformed into perfection.
Lastly baggage is also part of the leagcy that I leave behind in my world. It is the very thing that often aids other individuals to relate to me. David, Moses, Paul, Peter, Mary Magdalene... all individuals with huge amounts of baggage who served others through their ability to be real about who they really were. Sinners in need of grace, who died daily, solely focused on their Saviour.
In dying there is life. The great paradox. In baggage there is freedom.
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