Delay

Don't you hate waiting? It is an almost universal trait, the hatred of waiting. And it's no wonder what with us living in the land of microwave ovens and tweets and instant coffee and on-demand video. We hate waiting. Now isn't fast enough; we want it RIGHT now.

Recently, my family was at the airport ready to fly back home. We arrived at our gate early. Very early. But we didn't mind that waiting so much. We just knew the plane would arrive on time, and we would be on our way. Well, the plane did arrive on time. And we boarded the plane on time. The one thing we failed to do was take off on time. In fact, we sat on the tarmac for over 30 minutes. This, of course, is not unprecedented in the annals of air travel. But that 30 minute delay did significantly cut into our 45 minute layover in Atlanta. Those who have made a connection at Hartsfield recognize the problem of getting from one terminal to another in under 15 minutes.

So, we began to fret (a little): "Will we make our connection? Will our bags make our connection? What will we do if we DON'T make our connection?"

Once we landed, the 15 minute clock began ticking. We walked/jogged/ran from the B concourse to the C concourse. We didn't really expect to make it on time, but we had to give our best shot. As we emerged from the escalator onto the C concourse we wondered how far away gate C33 was. Another 5 minute jog? No. In fact, we were only 2 gates away. We made it with 4 minutes to spare. Our plane had not yet left.

Ah, but would our bags make it? As we pondered this question we realized that the boarding process had not yet begun. An announcement soon followed: our flight was to be delayed 30 minutes for maintenance.

We need not have rushed after all. We would have to wait another 30 minutes. But instead of cursing the delay, we rejoiced. Our luggage would make it on the plane after all! How fortuitous! We were experiencing the blessing of delay.

There are times when our lives become so frantic and our schedules so full that we are unaware of the opportunities around us. We press on full throttle when what we really need to do is to slow down and wait. Sometimes the delays in life are to our advantage. Sometimes we need to seek the slower pace.

God has a plan. It does not always fit our schedule (rarely, in fact). Perhaps we postpone the trip we have planned. Perhaps we do not despair over a lost promotion at work. Perhaps the end of a relationship is not the end of the world. God's timing is perfect. Trust in that. Sometimes (with apologies to Shakespeare)...

...the delay's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King.

Unforgivable

(I've had this post written in rough draft form for a week or two. But I'm just now finishing it.)


Those of us who live in Alabama are well-acquainted with the recent story of the poisoned trees at Toomer's Corner in Auburn. Perhaps the story has even garnered nationwide attention. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story a brief rundown is in order. After Auburn beat Alabama in football this past November,  a self-proclaimed, ill-guided Alabama football fan injected herbicide into two trees at the landmark Toomer's Corner adjacent to Auburn University. He then had the foolish nerve to call in to a sports radio talk show to brag about the misdeed. It did not take law enforcement long to track him down and arrest him. The trees are not expected to survive.


In the aftermath of these events, numerous callers to that same talk radio show weighed in on the situation. Auburn and Alabama fans alike called in to denounce his actions. The poisoning of the tree was called "horrible,"  "stupid," and "crazy." One adjective used to describe the poisoning was "unforgivable." 


After hearing my fill on the subject, I turned the dial from sports talk radio to a news broadcast. At the end of a news story regarding the crisis in Egypt, the commentator described the actions of a certain government official as "unforgivable."


"Unforgivable"...what does that really mean? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word in this way -- too bad to be excused or justified. An act that is considered unforgivable must be so bad that it is beyond excuse, justification or pardon. What sort of acts might these be? Betrayal? Murder? And from whom is the forgiveness not possible? From the wronged party? Relatives and friends? Society in part or as a whole? God?


I would argue that "unforgivable" is an extremely overused word. There have been many reprehensible acts for which repentance was sought and forgiveness granted. Are there victims of wrong-doing who are unwilling or unable to forgive their offender? Yes, but I would argue that it is often not the act itself that is unforgivable, but the person offended who is unforgiving. 


So, perhaps the word "unforgivable" has to come to mean the following: too bad to be excused...by me. We each hold the power of forgiveness. Sometimes we wield that power; sometimes we horde it like a miser leading to our own misery. We have become a nation of second chances. Witness the rebirth of the careers of Tiger Woods and Michael Vick. We each need forgiveness at one time our another -- from our spouses, our family, our friends, our coworkers, our community, our God.


Require forgiveness infrequently; grant forgiveness abundantly.