Missed Flights and Bad Falls

I was looking forward to, yet dreading, 10 full days at seminary. Of course, I was looking forward to the time to focus and connect with my colleagues, but I was really dreading being away from my family for so long after our recent move. Everyone was still adjusting to our new busy schedules.

In the past, I had made the drive to Wilmore, KY. But this year I was another 4.5 hours away. There seemed to be a huge difference between a 13 hour drive and an 18 hour drive. I just didn’t think I could pull it off. But I was thrilled to find a reasonably priced ticked out of Garden City. My drive would be just 45 minutes with a layover in Dallas. I could leave early Thursday morning and be in class Thursday evening.

And by early, I mean EARLY. My flight was at 6:05 am. However, with Garden City Airport being just a small regional airport, I figured I could show up an hour early and that would be plenty of time to get through security and get loaded up.

So, I set my alarm on my iPhone for 3:30 am. I missed a flight once, so I am now always paranoid that it will happen again. With that said, I didn’t sleep well that night. In fact, I laid awake for about an hour just waiting for my alarm to go off, thinking about my upcoming week.

But once the alarm sounded, I was up and around. I had packed the night before so it was just a matter of showering, dressing, and loading everything up…and hugging everyone goodbye. Even if they were still sleeping.

I was pleased that I was giving my last hug at 4:15 and was ready to walk out the door. But I looked at Annie’s clock as I hugged her and noticed that it said that the current time was 5:15. What? Hmmm….I wondered how her clock and gotten off by an hour.

I went back upstairs and looked at another clock…5:15. I looked at my iPhone….4:15. What in the world? “Todd,” I hollered, “what time is it?!”

Groggily he opened his eyes and looked at his own phone. “It’s 5:15. What did you do?!”

I hurriedly explained that my iPhone time was wrong and that I was going to try to make my flight anyway. Maybe there was a delay. Halfway to Garden City, my phone started displaying the correct time. Thank you very much.

But, of course, I saw the plane take off while I was right outside the terminal.

Shoulder’s slumped and feeling sorry for myself, I walked into the airport and explained what had happened. My comment to the guy at the ticket counter was, “I apparently was supposed to miss this flight. I rely on my phone every day and have never had that happen before.”

He scheduled me on a flight later in the day.

I drove back home. And while I was there, I realized that I would run out of my asthma medication while at Asbury. So, I took the time to call in a refill. On my way back out of town, I swung by to pick it up.

“When we run this through your insurance, it says that your policy is cancelled,” said the gal at the counter of the pharmacy. I didn’t have the time for such a message. I told her I would just fill it when I got back. I would be fine without my medication for a few days.

But on the way, I stopped at my office and caught my human resources gal. “Whitney, the pharmacy told me this morning that my insurance policy is cancelled.”

“It is,” she said. “You told me you were switching to your husband’s insurance on October 1.”

Oops. That had originally been the plan. But when we compared our policies, Todd and I had realized that it would be cheaper for my insurance to be through my employer while he and the kids were on his policy.

“Oh Whitney. Did I forget to come in and redo that paperwork?” Well, of course I had. And this day was October 3. Neither his insurance carrier nor mine had to let me back into the group. It was likely that I would have to pay full price for a separate policy or just go uninsured until January 1.

I was in tears. That was just too much for one day.

But I went on to my flight and made it to Kentucky. Within a few days, Whitney let me know that she had talked to the BCBS director and they had agreed to let me back in our group since it was discovered within only 2 days.

If I had not missed that flight, I would not have called in that refill. I would not have realized that I had no insurance until at least October 15. I most likely would be uninsured today.

Now…let me fast forward.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I participated in our first 5K. We enjoyed doing this together! Of course, our times were not impressive and we stayed together throughout the trek. But we thought this would be a good way for us to start getting back into shape together.

So, last Tuesday (11/12/13) evening when I told him I wanted to go walk the 5K route, he was not surprised. I didn’t want to mess with carrying my phone, but he convinced me to take it “just in case.” At about the 2 mile mark, a saw a semi coming down the road toward me so I decided to walk in the ditch until it got by. But I stepped either in something or on something, twisted my ankle, and ended up in a heap with my foot caught under me at an unnatural angle.

It was work just to get it out from underneath me! And I knew immediately that I had broken it.

I pulled out the cell phone and called Todd. Actually, I accidently pushed the “facetime” button. He said I looked like a crazy woman on the screen of his phone. And I FELT like a crazy woman.

“Come get me! I’ve broken my ankle!” I explained where I was while biting back the incredible pain. We went directly to the ER…and then by ambulance to the hospital in Garden City where I had surgery the following afternoon.

Wow….are we ever thankful that we have good insurance! We are so grateful that I missed that flight last month! When this hit me while lying in that hospital bed, I exclaimed it out loud. “THIS is why I missed that flight!”

The gal from Numana that helped me coordinate the food packaging event in Salina last year contacted me right away. Right before our event, she fell down her stairs and broke both of her ankles. “I know you will have a blessing come from this, Gina. I did.”

And you know what? I’m quite sure she is right. Whether this was just one of those things that happen in a fallen world that we must cope with…or whether this incident was orchestrated by God for a specific purpose, I have NO DOUBT that He will bring good from it. He’s amazing that way!

Thank God today for your missed flights and bad falls. Even when you don’t understand how they could ever result in good. Even if you never see in your lifetime, how they did result in good. Trust in the Lord and they surely will.

Romans 8:18-28 (NIV):  I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. 

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. 

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.