Destined Delays

The more I grow into this "faith" I claim to have, the more I learn not to despise my delays.

Years ago (almost a decade, I'm sure), I heard a story about how someone was frustrated because they could not find their keys as they were rushing to leave the house. The story goes on to explain the hastiness with which the person tore up their house looking for their keys and the time that transpired as a result. When the frantic person in the story finally happened upon their keys and in exhaustion, exited the house, they soon found out that a tragic accident had occurred on their daily route around the same time they would have arrived at that very intersection. The moral of the story was to conclude that the person was actually "saved" from the accident and the resulting traffic by the misplaced key search.

As a visual learning, it goes without saying that I gleaned a lot from the story and my temperament towards scheduling and timeliness was somewhat hushed. But this only meant that in the back of my mind, I was able to place a visual with scripture I'd formally read on learning to wait on God's timing  (Psalm 27:7) and not being so adamant about things precisely going MY way (Isaiah 55:8-9). However, this didn't mean that certain situations still didn't test my temperament.

This summer, as I arrived in New York, eager to explore a city that has long been on my bucket list; I was met with a particular delay that rubbed me the wrong way.

First, I typically book a round trip shared shuttle from the airport to my hotel (when I travel) using a specific, reliable company. This time, I was prompted to use a more local and reasonably priced company and so I did.

Second, I am pretty organized even when I'm traveling for leisure. I'm aware of my surroundings; well studied on what to do and where to go, so I don't have to depend on locals (who may or may not try to hustle me); and I try to schedule everything purposefully. So I was certain all of MY bases were covered.

Finally, I had booked my entire trip using a 2nd party vendor, which meant that everything had been paid for and could NOT be cancelled.

However, what I did NOT calculate was that New York was hosting a pretty large festival in their downtown area, which would cause delays in my transportation.

Sure enough, my app was telling me that my driver would be arriving in 15-20 minutes; but the airport was saying 30-45 min. Not a problem; I could be patient and wait (after all, my phone needed to charge). Convenient for me.

However as the hour rounded, I got a little anxious and began pacing. No driver in sight and my app was now saying that the driver should be arriving "soon"...and it said that for the next 15 minutes. Not so convenient anymore. After pacing, a lady caught the message on my t-shirt (which read, "I love Jesus and naps") and waved me over to her. She lovingly proclaimed that things like this happen for a reason and not to worry because I would get to my destination when I was supposed to get there. She finished her encouraging words with the following phrase which left me humbled, "I know you understand this because it's our faith that gets us through times like these, right?"

I was stunned. She used my shirt to identify that I was a fellow "sister-in-Christ" (much like ancient Christians who drew a fish in the sand to identify each other and offer support) and then used that as an opportunity to remind me of the 'work' that is supposed to be coupled with my faith (James 2:20). I smiled before hugging her and thanking her for reminding me of what I should have been practicing- the art of waiting. Not too much longer after our exchange and  a brief but sweet conversation; the airport personnel informed us that due to a NYC festival, our transportation would be delayed at least another 45 min and that we could wait or cancel (and find alternate means of transportation).

After this news, I hailed an Uber and on the drive into Manhattan, proceeded to not only get a refund from the company but also locate on the map where we were in relation to my hotel. During this Google Map search, I uncovered an issue. My hotel had been reserved through my Expedia account did NOT match the hotel that was pulling up under my shuttle booking. There had been a mistake and my precise "calculated" travel self had not caught it until now. And truthfully, had I not been in an Uber (but rather on a shared shuttle) I would NOT have caught it.

I quickly spoke up to my Uber driver and made him aware of the problem, to which he quickly rerouted his GPS and dropped me off at the correct location. As the car rounded the final block to the hotel, I meditated on the irony of the entire situation.

Yes, I had to wait an extended hour at the airport, but had the situation not worked out as it did...
1. I would have never been reminded of God's omniscience by a former Believer (whom I believe God used, to calm my anxious spirit).
2. I would have never stumbled upon the mistake; which would have led to me being taken to the wrong hotel and required to walk to the correct one (seeing that the shared shuttle company had to consider/accommodate several other guests).
3. I would NOT have arrived at my hotel as quickly (typically shared shuttles visit SEVERAL hotels on their route, thus delaying arrival even more).
4. I would not have added to my faith arsenal the importance of God's timing and ways.

Whether it's a travel hiccup like mine, or a life altering situation that rears in the form of career/job, relationship, family, prayer, ministry, finances or otherwise; remember that God allows delays. He often uses them to carve out a destiny He already has set for your life. Rather than despise them, let them ruminate and try to glean what the lesson(s) might be for you. Try to catch, even, the beauty in their occurrence and timing. Often they're divinely created to HELP you, rather than HINDER you!