My favorite part of flying is meeting new people along the way. Airports are such magical places because they bring together people of all backgrounds and from all over the world. Some of the most interesting conversations that I have had over the past few years have been waiting at a gate for my plane or out on the tarmac squished together in those inconvenient airplane seats. There was the 92 year old vegan couple headed to Brazil and then there was the young military man and his wife traveling home from Nebraska for Christmas, and so, so many others. But on my flight back to the Midwest yesterday, I had my favorite conversation of all…I found my sister!
Now that I think about it, I’m not entirely certain how the conversation began. I was looking for Seat 21C, and she was already there in the dreaded middle seat B when I boarded the plane. I sat down, shoving my backpack under the seat ahead of me and turned to smile at her. She looked friendly enough, maybe just a couple years older than me.
We were flying out of Phoenix at the time, me on a layover between Sacramento and Minneapolis, and her headed towards a wedding back home. We did the normal chitcat thing…me explaining that I’m from CA and headed back to the Midwest for school, and her talking about her supper cool job doing social work with Native Americans in Phoenix. And then somehow before I knew it we were discussing firefighters and CA droughts and all sorts of random things, talking just like old friends.
We talked about my hometown in Northern CA and then she asked me, “So, you must be about 3 hours from Redding, huh?”
“Ah, something like 2.5,” I replied, “We used to always drive through there on our way to visit my grandparents in Washington.”
“I love Redding,” she said, “Well, mostly it’s just got an awesome church there!”
And then I knew! I knew deep inside me…This young woman, this lady that I had never seen before in my life, sitting right next to me in idle conversation, she and I, we were sisters. I asked her about the church and what she believed, and before I knew it we had talked straight through the 25 minute delay on the tarmac as our flight was taking off, and I’m sure the other sleepy-eyed passengers around us were imploring us to be quiet so that they could go to sleep as we began our 3 hour flight. But we didn’t stop. We talked like I’ve never talked to a stranger before. We talked about faith, and the holy spirit, and being involved in the church, and the need to evangelize, and the way Christians are portrayed in modern American society, and so many more things. We were both nearly jumping out of our seats with excitement, realizing this common love that we share for our Christ. So much joy was welling up inside me, looking at this bright-eyed woman sitting right next to me. She and I, we were sisters. We have the same Daddy, the same Abba, who loves us more than is even imaginable. This is exactly what Matthew 12:48-50 is talking about:
“He [Jesus] replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (NIV)
How amazing is it, that I have an indescribable amount of brothers and sisters in Christ throughout all the world and all of time that I get to share in this same joy with? How amazing is it, that one day I can just sit down in a crowded airplane after waking up at 3am and meet someone who has that same overpowering love for God that I do?
My sister and I talked throughout the plane ride and after we got off the plane, and she was leaving to meet her brother and I to pick up my checked bag, she gave me a big hug. “Look me up if you’re ever in Phoenix!” She said.
Who knows if I will ever see her again on this earth? But how crazy is it to think that soon and very soon I will be worshipping with her and so many others at the feet of our Lord? And what a glorious day that will be!
God is good!
Proverbs 19:21 