When Am I Ever Going to Learn?
 

                Have you flown Southwest Airlines since their latest boarding procedures took effect?  One can “check-in” online up to 24 hours before the flight and receive a boarding pass with a “letter/number” designation which defines the order in which passengers will board.

                The first group is A1 – A30, and then second is A31 – A60.  Third is B1 – B30, then B31 through B-60, then the dreaded “C and guaranteed to land a middle seat” group.  I have to admit that I prefer this to the former “get to the gate 2 to 3 hours ahead so you can get a good seat” system.

                My circumstance for flying this time was not for a race, but for a half-day meeting out of state on a Sunday afternoon.  That meant flying our Sunday morning at O’dark thirty with a return flight in the early evening.

I checked myself in online for the outbound leg Saturday morning.  However, I had a challenge checking in for the return flight.  I was serving as a chaplain at a local race track that Saturday night.

I stopped in at the track office and asked the receptionist if I could stop in about 6:30, borrow the use of a computer, and print my return boarding pass.  “Why not let me do it for you?” she responded.  “I do this for my husband all the time.”

Gladly I wrote out my carrier, flight number, departure time and city, and my reservation confirmation number.  She was tickled, as was I, when she handed me a printed boarding pass later that evening.  I stuck it in a folder that I knew would go with me, pleased to have “worked” the Southwest system to my advantage in a difficult circumstance, and confident of snagging an A1 – A30 boarding number.

After my afternoon meeting, back at the airport terminal, getting ready to run the security gauntlet, I looked at that boarding pass for the first time.  It looked strangely familiar. Alas, she had reprinted my outbound boarding pass!

I slunk to the airline counter where my worst fears were realized…not only had she printed the wrong boarding pass, but she had not checked me in for the return flight.  With a less-than-heavenly attitude, I left the counter with my B-34 boarding pass, internally grousing all the way to the gate.

Because I was wearing a Team RFC travel shirt, I did have the presence of mind not to scowl to all around me…just to make certain that they knew I was one unhappy flyer.  Still, as I watched three groups board before mine, I was not a man of the peace and serenity that should be evident in a child of God.

                The overhead bins near my seat were virtually full, yet I sized up one promising space, slid other bags to the right and to the left, and popped my carryon bag in with no more spare space than a can full of Spam!  A gentleman said, “Now that was impressive!” and I turned to recognize a couple of guys wearing racing T-shirts and eyeing the fish logo on my shirt.  I smiled, boasted, “Yep, I used to drive a stock car,” and initiated a conversation with two guys who loved racing, loved the Lord, knew many of the people I do, and had many questions that I was able to answer.

                I often say that my best developed spiritual gift is “Spiritual Hindsight.”  (Don’t try to find that in one of the Apostle Paul’s letters.)  In the middle of a circumstance I don’t have a clue what may be going on, but in retrospect I can often see God’s fingerprints all over the situation.

                My prayer that night was one of confession for my stinky attitude, gratefulness to meeting two new friends, and acknowledging that God daily orders my steps and establishes divine appointments…even if it takes getting me a B-34 boarding pass to orchestrate it!

Paul Neighbors