Children of God,
What’s cracking?
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
21st is my favorite date of the month, because that’s the date I came into this world a few years ago 🙂. So for September’s article, I knew I wanted to publish on this date.
I’d written in one of my articles, that my life seems to be entertaining to some of my readers (because they tell me so). Well, my life is funny to me too… in hindsight though.
When it comes to travel, I think God seems to have new adventures for me up His sleeve. I’ve written about missing my plane in Rome, having to take a motorbike to the airport in Dar-es-Salaam, having to race against time when going to the airport in Rome (again) and on several other occasions too 🙈. This time round, I told myself that I would learn from my mistakes and make it to the airport earlier than usual.
Two weeks ago, I had a trip to Rwanda and I started packing early, something that was new to me. Previously, I’d pack a few hours to my flight but I’m a changed woman now, the old is gone and the new is come.
“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? …”
Isaiah 43:19 NIV
I packed neatly and even used packing cubes (although I think they consume more space as opposed to optimizing it). Another area of improvement here is that I packed lighter than usual. Most times, I have a mini-relocation whenever I travel and also, because of packing last minute, I’d carry almost everything and do the choosing at my destination. Arriving at the destination safely is of utmost priority, followed by looking good 😉. On second thought, both are equally important. There’s no way I’ll be found anywhere looking anything less than spectacular [flips hair].
At the OR Tambo Airport in South Africa
I took my time in the shower and left for the airport in absolutely no hurry for the first time in a long time and I mean, a long, long time. I was feeling so proud of myself! No more running to my boarding gate and hearing my name on the intercom for the final boarding call. 😭 I was a changed woman.
I went to my terminal only to be told that my flight had been cancelled due to the airport strike.
This wasn’t what I was expecting, not on my inaugural debut of a reformed frequent flier!
I was re-routed to the ticketing office and the man behind the counter was so overwhelmed, he simply told me to return home. How sway?
Anyway, it was 2am in the morning and I was not about to continue freezing in the biting cold on the airport sidewalk, so I went back home and slept. While deep in slumber, I was woken up by a call from my friend who was also traveling to Rwanda and she asked me if I had checked my email. I obviously hadn’t checked anything because I went to sleep the minute I got home. She informed me that apparently, the airline had automatically rescheduled me for a new flight leaving in exactly two hours.
Yet, there I was, in bed, in my pyjamas!
I looked at the clock and I gasped – I had less than 15 minutes to get to the airport!
Goodness!
So much for the “new me” who arrives at the airport hours before the expected time.
I threw on my airport ‘fit, grabbed my suitcases and ran out the door. It was a mad, breathless sprint down the stairs and into my cab. Turns out that airport runs and taking walks in Europe inadvertently became my favorite forms of fitness!😂😅 Sign me up to the airport Olympics already!
I eventually got to the airport, albeit not in fifteen minutes, but I was holding my breath in the cab the entire time. When I got to the check-in counter, the attendant told me that my flight had been… wait for it… wait for it…
wait…
waaaiiit…
rescheduled …. again!
I was about to call my mum and dad to vent but I couldn’t do so because I hadn’t told them that I was flying out again on such short notice.
The protracted waiting time coupled with hours of back and forth with the airline staff got me hungry. I was eagerly looking forward to stuffing my face at the airport lounge, only for me to get to Premium Plaza and be told that there an issue with my lounge pass. No, how could this be? 😭 Not at the time I needed it most😭.
Sigh.
I decided to go a nearby restaurant but, much to my chagrin, ended up having the driest sandwich to have ever existed in the land of sandwich-ville in all the earth! In the words of my niece, “..it was yucky”. Loh! You never miss the lounge access waters till the well runs dry 😭.
Fifteen hours and two reschedules later, I finally got a seat on the Kigali-bound plane. My friend Oriki was already in Rwanda and kept calling to check in on me. I found that really sweet.
As I was catching my breath from the chaos of uncertainty and being on edge the whole time, I made peace with the fact that sudden disruptions will always be a part of life. For my Rwanda trip, I expected a smooth, organized and timely airport experience but the reality became a wild testimony.
We can try to pack perfectly, organize our lives into neat little cubes and think we have everything under control, but a single announcement can cancel all our plans. It is God who commands His angels concerning us to guard us in all our ways, ensuring that even in the chaos of an airport strike, we do not dash our foot against a stone.
“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”
Psalms 91:11-12 NIV
Looking back on that day as I write this article, I can’t help but laugh at myself and at the whole situation at large. The one time I packed early and got to the airport on time, wahala happened 😂. It just goes to show that no matter how much we try to control the narrative, it is God who orders our steps.
“We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.”
Proverbs 16:9 NLT
The beauty of walking with Jesus is that even when the storms of life hit or the schedule gets chaotic, your eternity doesn’t have to be up in the air.
Salvation isn’t for perfect people who have their lives completely sorted out. Look at me, I am still running through airports almost all the time! Salvation is simply realizing you need a Saviour, and accepting the free gift of grace that Jesus paid for on the cross.
If the final trumpet sounded today or if you got a sudden plot twist at 2:00 AM, would you be covered? If you want to secure your eternity and know the peace of walking under His shadow, please say this prayer out loud from your heart today:
Lord Jesus,
I come to You today just as I am. I acknowledge that I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that You died on the cross for my sins and rose again on the third day. Today, I confess my sins and ask for Your forgiveness. I accept You as my personal Lord and Saviour. Take control of my life and guide my steps. Thank You for saving me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
If you made that choice today, welcome to the Christ-side of the family! You, dear reader, have just made the greatest decision of your life.
Life in Christ is crazy but is absolutely worth it!
Remember to pack your bags early for your next trip and to brush your teeth before bed.
God loves you immensely ♥️.
XO,
That Lady
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