Altitude Attitude Adjustments
All my bloggy friends and family know that airplanes are NOT my favorite place to be.
The great news is that over the past 3 1/2 years God has flung me into the air, He alone has also delivered me from the absolute terror that used tme latch on to me from the moment I stepped through airport doors. Not only has he delivered me from terror, He has actually filled me with peace and ALMOST enjoyment on an occasional flight.
When honey and I left Tampa last Saturday morning, I was at my ALMOST joy level. We don’t get away often enough, just us.
Tampa to SanDiego is AWAY 🙂
The trip is long.
For our first leg on Saturday from Tampa to SanAntonio we were blessed with emergency row seats, lots of legroom for my tall husband and a tiny little woman on my right side. We remained on the same plane while in SA but I had the bright idea of moving up to the emptied front row. Nice. Not only more leg room for the journey but the first off upon landing.
As the final passengers loaded it looked like things were going our way when suddenly the flight attendant asked the gentleman who had chosen the seat next to me if he would kindly relocate as they had a last minute special needs passenger.
She apologized profusely as the plane was now full and his seat options very limited.
She offered him a free cocktail to soothe his very kind but obvious disappointment.
A few minutes later, a very large (OK let me just say, multiple hundreds of pounds) woman dropped into the seat next to me lifting the armrest between us and pressing her large arms and thighs into over 1/2 of MY seat all the while dragging HER DOG into her lap and my FACE!!!
I was NOT happy.
I was NOT at peace.
I promptly went up to the flight attendant and discreetly complained. Not only did I have only 1/2 of the seat I paid for…there is only ONE dog I love in the whole world and she was back at my home!!
Not my finest moment.
She apologized profusely and offered me a cocktail.
Since coctails are not my thing, I sat down and pouted.
The plane took off, the lady quietly spread into my space and fell into a deep sleep while her doggie panted in my face and I pouted.
Honey just sat very quietly and tried not to make eye contact with me for fear I would ask him to trade places 🙂
As the plane began to reach “cruising altitude” I began to hear that still small voice that I live for.
“Pat sweetheart, honey, darling….YOUR attitude should be the same as Christ Jesus who being in very nature…well, ME…did not consider equality with…well, ME….something to be grasped but made Himself nothing taking on the very nature of a servant….”
Hmmmm.
OK Lord, I hear you at 30,000 feet. I need an attitude adjustment.
I just leaned into honey, closed my eyes and thanked God that I was not disabled, did not have a dog as my companion and would be first off the plane when we landed in SanDiego.
Share with me please, have you had a recent attitude adjustment opportunity?
We have a wonderful donor who is giving away an all expenses paid weekend to our upcoming “Imagine Me…Set Free” in Grand Rapids on Oct 7 & 8 to some sweet bloggy friend this month? You will even get to fly on an airplane! WhooHoo!!
Just say Hi below to be entered in the drawing!
Ummm, YES!!! It was the green eyed monster—jealousy. I tell about it here. https://www.leahadams.org/slaying-the-green-eyed-monster/
Lord, have mercy, it was UGLY!! Thankfully God is merciful and patient with me.
Sweet Leah…your green eyed monster gave me the creeps but your post hit a familiar nerve that I really think most of us girls have tangled with.
Thanks for your honesty girl,
P
Oh my, yes! The Lord is doing some big attitude adjusting in me lately! As He often does, He spoke through my wise husband. I have been feeling bogged down with discouragement and frustration in nearly every area of my life. My husband pointed out that the real source of my frustration and discouragement is that things aren’t going the way I think they should, and instead of looking to the Lord and seeking contentment in the circumstances He has given me, I’m looking to my own sinful desires and finding only discontentment. I’m a slow learner, but I’m beginning to change the way I’m praying, and through that God is showing me even more areas where my attitude needs an adjustment! It isn’t fun facing your sinfulness, but it does bring blessing.
I would LOVE to win a trip to a Freedom Weekend! Attending one is actually on my dream list. I know God wants me to share my story and use it to help others, and I desire to do this, but I don’t know quite how to go about it. I think the phrase “desperate for a word of direction from God” fits my current season quite well. My husband and I are seeking direction from God both as individuals and as a couple in areas of work, family, and ministry. We know He has a direction for us, but it’s easy to feel lost and overwhelmed. I think a Freedom Weekend is just what I need to learn how to find freedom, peace, purpose, and passion! Winning this would be a huge blessing. Thank you for this opportunity!
Pat,
Too funny that my attitude adjustment also happened on an airplane. I was on the way back from Canada after attending my precious Grandmothers funeral. My 2 daughters 4 and 8 years old were with me.. I had to jump through hoops to get our seats placed next to each other.. Call me crazy but I did not think that my 4 year should sit next to a stranger, let alone my 8 year old.. 🙂 Anyways.. after I fought for my right to be seated next to them.. the lady who begrudgingly switched our seats had the last laugh.. As I walked on the plane searching for our seats… we just kept going and going and going until we ended up at the very last seat in the back of the plane.. Did you know that they have seats on planes without a window? Well, I did not know until this exact moment.. Not only were we placed next to the bathroom.. we had no window to look out. Did I mention that I was emotionally spent after attending my Grandmother’s funeral?? Just checking.. So I sat and fumed in my seat. I literally could not speak I was so angry… How do you tell your children who were so excited to ride on a plane that they will NOT be looking out the window during the flight? I was so overcome with anger that I just sat and closed my eyes as tears dripped down my cheeks… Then I prayed… “God… I need you. Help me.” Then I just breathed Him in… over and over until His peace poured over me.. My kids were fine. They were more than fine.. Maybe I cared more than they did about the window?? The steward on flight was incredible. When it came time for the “snack cart” to come around he gave both my daughters lapful’s of snacks. They were overjoyed.
Two things I learned..
1) A lap full of M&M’s and Doritos does in fact trump a window seat any day…
2) God is so vrey faithful to answer me when I call to Him…
oh yes and recently on an airplane too! my flight from charlotte to atlanta was delayed an hour for flight attendant who was M.I.A.
I managed to tune the crying baby and it’s mother out while waiting by praying to not get stuck sitting by the profusely sweating, large man close by. When we finally got on the plane guess who I was sitting by? the very loud one year old and her mother!!!! I was in shock! But…I did get what I had prayed for- not to sit by the sweaty man!!! lol God does have a sense of humor doesn’t He? So I immediately began praying for a major attitude adjustment and I am happy to say that by the end of the trip me and little Armonie were such good friends that her mother thanked me for being so kind to them while everyone else frowned at them the whole time!!! only God could have done that!