I’m sitting in the airport at Denver, Colorado and they have free WiFi access.  It would be nice if all airports had this feature.  I left South Bend, Indiana early this morning, stopping through Chicago’s O’Hare airport before arriving here in Denver on my way to Tucson.  South Bend and O’Hare both charge for their WiFi access, something like $7 a day — how many ways can you say, “rip-off”!

 Anyhow, even with that side-note, I love flying!  Today has gone great so far.  My flights have been on-time departures and early arrivals.  I had 2 hours in Chicago and 4 hours here in Denver.  Many people read that and think that’s terrible.  Six hours simply sitting in airports waiting to get to a destination.  I don’t see it that way.  I guess that is part of why I love flying.  I even love flying when things go wrong and the schedule isn’t working.  Well, most of the time at least.  There has been an occasion when I really needed to be somewhere else according to a schedule I couldn’t control.  That was a little frustrating, but not normal for me.

I think a lot of it is because of the work and ministry God has called me to.  I see my time as God’s.  He knows before I ever book my flights what the trip will be like. He knows how I can use the time He gives me to either draw closer to Him or be His servant to other people.  The question each time, is what will I actually do?  It is fun to simply walk through the airport smiling!  People evidently aren’t used to that.  I nearly always get a visible response, as well as a verbal greeting from airport employees when they see me smiling.  Many of my fellow travelers will extend a warm greeting — or look around them to see what they must have missed. 🙂

It feels good to be a messenger of cheer.  Most young children have almost always felt an instant connection to me.  I don’t know why.  Maybe they recognize that I am closer to their level in a lot of ways than what most other adults are.  Maybe it’s just the fact that I look goofy!  I don’t think that many of them have anyone smile at them while they travel.

As I sat here in the airport reflecting on that one thought, “I Love Flying!”, I wondered why that is so easy to say?  For me, it really does have little to do with the ease or smoothness of the process.  Yes, that is helpful and very much enjoyed, but it is not required.  Our study theme this week has been, “I Am A Lover of God”.  As I thought about my reaction to walking through the airport, I wondered if I’m that quick to walk through life smiling because I love God. 

I Love God!  That ought to be so much above and beyond the simple statement, “I love flying”, but I’m not sure it always is.  Does my love of God reflect in the life I live?  What would the people I cross paths with each day think?  Do I bring joy and comfort to their life as an outpouring of my love of God?  Does my life look differently when the daily journey goes according to schedule, compared to the days when everything is delayed, behind schedule, and a general mess?  When my life is going like I think it ought to, do I wake up and think, “Wow!  I love God!”  When life is a struggle and and makes little or no sense, can I still wake up and say, “Wow!  I love God!” 

I think that is the start of a lesson God is teaching me today.  It is easy to see some of what God is doing in and through me as I travel and that result of God at work is why I say, “I love flying” or “I love driving”.  If it wasn’t for the work God is doing as I fly or drive somewhere, I don’t really think I would like it all that much.  God is saying to me, “You really don’t love flying, you love Me!” 

And I say, “I Do!”

I am a lover of God!