The boarding announcement was made 40 minutes prior to departure, our boarding passes were scanned and we were sent towards the aircraft. As wheelchair passengers were being boarded first, we were required to line up on the aerobridge, just short of the aircraft door.
The pilot was making his routine checks and had some concerns. engineering crew being summoned was an observation, there was some visible activity and concerns by the door.
20 minutes of waiting and a passenger from behind me excused himself to reach the front of the queue and with a raised voice demanded the flight crew, who were inside the aircraft and not visible to us, to explain why there was a delay. A ground personal who came forward explained that there were some ongoing checks and that boarding would commence soon.
Passengers were not happy with this answer. The person who had raised his voice demanded that boarding must commence immediately and that it was not reasonable for the airline to keep passengers waiting, standing. He further demanded to see the aircraft crew, who did not show up.
Voices of complaining and accusation began to freely flow, a lady at the top of her voice instructed the ground staff that the aircraft should have been checked in advance and passengers should not have been kept standing. Another kept demanding to see the captain, another demanded to sit down, and another kept cursing the airline, threatening to sue them in court.
The ground staff, not able to keep the people calm, instructed us to turn back and return to the terminal due to the commotion. More contributons were added to the raised voices. We had no choice. We got back to the waiting area to listen to more complaining passengers. However, in less than five minutes of us waiting, an announcement was made that boarding was recommencing. We entered the aircraft, and everyone was quiet. The captain explained that there were some routine checks that were needed to ensure everyone’s safety, and he apologized for the ten-minute delay. No one raised any more voices.
When we’re in demanding situations, it isn’t always easy to stay calm or hold our tongue for too long. We are conscious of the circumstances we are in; we are mindful that we needed to stay calm, yet, the nagging and complaining passengers did annoy me significantly. It is in these moments of deep thonking that one can be reminded of what James 1:9 explains and how we should respond…
– Be quick to listen.
– Be slow to speak.
– Be slow to anger.
The circumstances we face daily, the people we encounter, the issues we observe, just as what was experienced by myself, and, how the world we live in responds, unfortunately, is the opposite of what we are called to be:
– Be slow to hear what others have to say.
– Be quick to voice your own opinions.
– Be quick to accuse, argue, and fight.
human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.
James 1:20
This morning’s devotion reveals to me that God desires that our lives will be a light shining before everyone, that everyone will see our good behaviors and give praise to God for who we are. Reading it over and over again, this is truly how it must be and how we are called to be. However, why is it so exceedingly difficult to be ‘slow to speak and slow to anger’?
It sure is an awesome teaching and a great test. Our reactions and responses will determine to what degree we have God’s word planted in us and how we obey it. As for me, my conclusion is that for me to be quick to speak and quick to anger means that my understanding of God’s word has diminished, is not understaood and is not practiced.
A few days later, whislts on a trip, am at the airport security, lining up to get my bags screened. As my turn was approaching to send my bags through the x-ray machine, a person coolly walked ahead of me and placed his bag on the belt. An immediate reaction was brewing, this man was doing something wrong. My heart pounded, ‘sir, you have jumped the queue, kindly go back’ was my gentle reaction. He tried to argue with me that he was ahead of me. The person behind disagreed, he sturnly told the passenger that he, too, had observed him and ordered him to move back!
Rebuke is an important part of a followers’ responsibility. We tend to turn away when wrong things happen because we do not want to be confrontational. We are not sure of what the response will be and we anticipate the worst situation, the big drama! Paul, one of my most admired apostles, encourages us otherwise:
Be ready to serve God in good times and bad. Correct people’s mistakes. Warn them. Encourage them with words of hope. Be very patient as you do these things. Teach them carefully.
2 Timothy 4:2
We know that there will surely be times when we are faced with situations that are not right, it would sometimes makes us angry. This is an ‘everyday’ moment for sure! My take-away, these encounters require a very gentle and caring approach when we see things not right. Mistakes must be corrected with love.
We can take Gods word to heart.
We can take time to temper our emotions, think through our feelings and arguments, and humbly pray for God to help us respond with kindness and grace
INSPIRE 