The departure time came and went with no departure. The ticket agent informed the anxious passengers that the incoming plane was delayed due to weather in Chicago. Chicago. I should have known better than to connect in Chicago.  “The pilot will make up time in the air and you’ll land in Chicago just 15 minutes late.” Well, we were an hour late and by some miracle (and a run through the airport terminal reminiscent of a scene from Home Alone) I was the last passenger to walk onto my connecting flight to Charlotte.

The return trip proved no better. This time delayed in the air, a 35 minute taxi to the gate, Home Alone scene take 2, and a very sweaty second miracle to make the connection. Oh, but this time my luggage showed up a day later. Thank goodness I was home!

All of this reminded me of why I hate flying. It is so annoying, so frustrating, and so tiring. Nothing is in your control. You are at the mercy of everyone and everything else. And in the midst of that helplessness, I was struck by how similar this experience is to real life.

Each morning I awake with no idea what the day will hold and with very little control over what it may bring. There may be delays. There may be bad weather. There may be large smelly men who sit next to you and take the entire arm rest (this really happened). Or there may be a little 9 year old with beautiful black braids and a more beautiful smile traveling with her exhausted grandmother who inspires you to give up your coveted window seat and a chance at a nap in order to learn about her school, her love for PE, and all of the friends she likes to play with at recess (all while blessing said grandmother with a little break). What if I had been too uptight, too frustrated, too annoyed, or too selfish to miss such a beautiful God moment?

There are two kinds of passengers in the airport. There are those who are losing it because they are not in control. And those who have let go because they know they are not in control. Each day we have the same choice.  We choose to lose it or to let go. We choose to be a burden or we choose to be a blessing.  We choose to pretend to control our circumstances or we actually control our response to them.  We simply react reflexively out of raw emotion or we respond thoughtfully out of evaluated emotions. When life feels out of control, we choose to grip tighter or to give it to God.

What do you choose this day? Share a time when you’ve “lost it” and a time you kept your poise by “letting go.”