Whining on a Plane

Another airplane delay day. Once again it is fun to watch the people around me deal with it.

The guy next to me is stoic. He is sitting staring at the wall, and has done so for 2 hours. By contrast the fellow behind has had a merry time on the phone bouncing from one complaining call to another. His bank, stock broker & cell phone service provider have all had the pleasure of his attention. As have the rest of the flight within earshot.

I am going to be late for my presentation, so the guy meeting me must be starting to get anxious. He organized the dinner meeting I am supposed to regale with my unrivalled skills and expertise. Mmmmm. Hopefully they will still figure it was worth the cost.

The guy in front has been lambasting airline management with his opinion of the quality of "the piece of junk" we are sitting in. The cause of the delay is a puncture, followed by a ground crew too busy to back us out.

Also nearby is the fellow who is making sure we all know he is a medical doctor, whose patients are suffering because of his absence.

Let's revisit how we react to these problems.

So I mock the doctor for being self important. This is precisely the trap I have fallen into by telling you about why it is important I am not late. Ooops

Maybe I am jealous of the whiners because I don't have a stock broker or access to airline management. Ooops

But I don't whine! Right? Oh dear, I just did. Ooops

Pride. Covetousness. Jealousy. Complaining.

Just goes to show how easy it is to get fall into un-loving behavior.

Thankfully we are gracefully reminded of how we sin, and we are offered a means to forgiveness. Jesus was perfect and he wants us to be perfect too. If I remember it is all about Him, not me, it will be much less tempting to be proud or angry when I don't get my way. He always gets His way, so if I am tuned into His plans, life and flying become a whole lot less stressful.