Very early on a Wednesday morning this past month I was due to fly out of Calgary, which meant a drive down Calgary’s famous Deerfoot Trail in morning rush hour traffic. I set the alarm planning adequately for the time needed for a possibility of a traffic jam, the potentiality of snow, as well as the time required for the newly expanded airport security procedures. In the silence of night I awoke, viewed the clock, and realized immediately that the alarm did not go off for some unexplainable reason. Before this day would begin I had lost 45 minutes. Would I make it or would I not? As it turned out this given morning went smoothly, even with time to spare for a Starbucks coffee as I waited at my gate at the airport.

On the Friday heading home I got to the airport in ample time and waited for my flight only to hear the announcement that the flight had been cancelled. About 100 people stood around waiting for the arrangements of what was to come. For me this would be another unexpected event resolved within a time frame I could not control.

Planning for the big events we know are coming may be stressful, but these other happenings can challenge our faith more radically. These unplanned events of our lives can shake us because in our mechanized and scheduled world we have taught ourselves that we are or should be in control.

The first words when angels appear in the Scripture is often “Don’t be afraid.” Comically I wonder if any one of us could stand in view of the uniqueness of a heavenly being appearing like that before us, saying those words … stretch your imagination here … and we shrug our shoulders and reply, “Okay” while our heart immediately returns to sixty beats per minute. It does not happen that way in real life.

Resting in God, experiencing His ‘shalom’ comes more easily to us when we release ourselves moment by moment and physically and emotionally, not just intellectually, that God really is in charge. So on this Friday evening as I write this article during the time allowed as I wait for my rescheduled flight, I am resolved again to say that God is in charge. For now I’m okay with it.

Seeking to experience His peace,

Dennis