DELAYED “FLIGHT”: It’s All God’s Plan

DELAYED “FLIGHT”: It’s All God’s Plan

(January 3, 2024)

Almost every Christmas season, DELAYED signs, and worst is Cancelled notice, have become a regular scenario in most, if not all, airports all over the world for both local and international flights.

Just recently before Christmas, a good number of domestic flights were recorded in the Philippines that cause quite a lot of different reactions from passengers, mostly of anger and frustration. The stress that the passengers felt was simply indescribable. Imagine all the planning they make like – applying for leave from work; searching and booking for flights, bus rides, and/or sea travel; packing belongings to bring; buying “pasalubong” and gifts; and more things needed in their journey or vacation.

In some cases, though, a feeling of resignation and frustrating acceptance were all some passengers expressed bearing the discomforts caused by the delays.

Whether out of anger and frustration or resignation and acceptance, no matter the rationality and validity of the reasons for delays, the choice remained to be TO CANCEL or TO WAIT.

Life is a journey. As we were born into this world, our pilgrimage of life began. In the beginning, we do not worry about anything at all. Our parents and adult family members took care of our needs. But as we grew up into adulthood, we took hands-on participation and undertaking on our journey. We make our plans. We draw up our dreams. We prepare almost all the needed things in reaching our goals. In the process, we experience quite an enormous mix of joys and sorrows, smiles and tears, pains and comforts. All of which would result in various end-products, so to speak. Depending on how we handle everything that comes our way, we meet success or failure, disappointment or achievement, cheerfulness or depression. Happiness or sadness.

No matter how we prepare ourselves to fulfill our life-plans, delays do happen. And depending on our personality, attitude, values, capability, we confront delays in a manner that would result in us either progressing or regressing, angry or accepting.

Either way, and most often, our faith in God comes into view. For those who have tremendous belief and trust in God having a hand in all aspects of our life, delays are best approached with PATIENCE (sabr). With prayer and resulting from a life of prayer, we take delays in life as part of God’s plan. As such, God is having a direct hand in whatever is happening in our life.

Delays maybe God’s letting us know that it is not yet time for whatever we want in life.

Delays maybe God’s protecting us from possible dangers and harm that what we want may result in more pains than joy.

Delays maybe God’s telling us that what we plan for our life and wanting to achieve were not in accordance with His Divine plan for us.

Delays maybe God whispering to us a message of love that we fail to hear because we were so engrossed in reaching for our self-designed plans for ourselves.

Delays, therefore, are opportunities to check on our patience…a chance to wait.

Wait for the best time.

Wait for the right one.

Wait for God’s time.

Delays do not have to negatively affect us. They won’t if we always view our life as God’s design and not ours. Through the eyes of faith, we accept God’s movements in everything that we plan or do. We allow God to intervene in every aspect of our life. We depend on God. We trust only God.

Delays are meant to let us hear God’s whisper: “Hey! Let me take the lead in your pilgrimage and show you the way. Let me light your path and held your hand to the right direction.”

Delays are moments for us to hear God saying to us: “I Love You.”