The Journey 225: Life become meaningful when you find the good in the worst
Read: Genesis 50
God’s ways are so unique and so wonderful even if it cause some discomfort and pain. Last Saturday I was returning back from Houston after attending the National Youth Conference. The three days in the conference was very hectic and I was tired and totally drained and just wanted to somehow to get back to Philadelphia. The flight from Houston to Philadelphia was at 5 PM and I was informed that the flight was full and hence I needed to be at the airport at the right time. I checked myself online to confirm my travel. But once I came to the airport it was announced that our flight was delayed by an hour as the incoming flight was delayed. This delay rose to one and half hours and hours, later to two and a half hours and this brought about a little arguments between the passengers and the staff at the airport. Finally we were ready to board the flight by 8 pm. All of us were upset because we would reach Philadelphia only by midnight and I was also getting upset as I had to leave early morning to New Jersey for the Sunday morning worship. As we were boarding the flight I noticed a group of members wearing a pink T shirt arriving at our gates just in time to board the flight. It was unusual as there were more than 30 ladies in the group and about two or three male members. As I slowly reclined in my seat I saw that one of the male members of the group sat next to me. We soon started conversing and realized that he was a pastor and was returning back to Philadelphia after doing a mission work in Honduras. The Pastor told me that at that particular moment every passenger in the aircraft is upset because the flight is delayed but he said his group is thanking God in silence. I wondered why. That is when the Pastor told me about his testimony. They were a group who had gone to do mission work in Honduras and the group consisted of doctors, nurses, teachers and social work professional. After finishing their mission work as they returning from Honduras their flight to Houston was delayed by 2 hours. This created panic in the group and they knew they would miss the connecting flight from Houston to Philadelphia. As it was a large group to get another booking for the whole group was impossible. Everyone was upset, some even thought, we came for a mission trip and is this the way things have to end. The Pastor said they all prayed in the airport as they were travelling to Houston to have mercy on them. It is only when they landed in Houston that they could not believe their eyes when they came to know that their connecting flight to Philadelphia was delayed for three hours, giving the group the much needed time to just be in time to catch the flight. I could not believe what the Pastor was saying. Here I am totally stressed out thinking about the time that I had wasted, the long wait at the Houston airport, but now I realized that behind that pain, there was a blessing to another group. I think this is a truth in Christian life. In Genesis 50, we find a wonderful faith perspective of Joseph. The brothers of Joseph stands trembling in front of Joseph. They are scared because of the misdeeds of the past and they know at this point of time, it is Joseph who is powerful and has the right to punish them. But Joseph looks the whole episode of pain and suffering in his life as redemptive. He tells his brothers that though they thought of harming him, God turned that harm into a blessing not only for him but for the whole nation. I think this is something that we need to consciously internalize in our life. When we sometime goes through some pain or discomfort, there may be some blessing for someone else in a redemptive form. Whether it is a wait in the airport or being caught in a traffic jam or some delays in life, there is something that God is teaching us and God is revealing his plan to the world. Our pain may be another persons gain.
Rev. Dr. Joe Joseph Kuruvilla,
God’s ways are so unique and so wonderful even if it cause some discomfort and pain. Last Saturday I was returning back from Houston after attending the National Youth Conference. The three days in the conference was very hectic and I was tired and totally drained and just wanted to somehow to get back to Philadelphia. The flight from Houston to Philadelphia was at 5 PM and I was informed that the flight was full and hence I needed to be at the airport at the right time. I checked myself online to confirm my travel. But once I came to the airport it was announced that our flight was delayed by an hour as the incoming flight was delayed. This delay rose to one and half hours and hours, later to two and a half hours and this brought about a little arguments between the passengers and the staff at the airport. Finally we were ready to board the flight by 8 pm. All of us were upset because we would reach Philadelphia only by midnight and I was also getting upset as I had to leave early morning to New Jersey for the Sunday morning worship. As we were boarding the flight I noticed a group of members wearing a pink T shirt arriving at our gates just in time to board the flight. It was unusual as there were more than 30 ladies in the group and about two or three male members. As I slowly reclined in my seat I saw that one of the male members of the group sat next to me. We soon started conversing and realized that he was a pastor and was returning back to Philadelphia after doing a mission work in Honduras. The Pastor told me that at that particular moment every passenger in the aircraft is upset because the flight is delayed but he said his group is thanking God in silence. I wondered why. That is when the Pastor told me about his testimony. They were a group who had gone to do mission work in Honduras and the group consisted of doctors, nurses, teachers and social work professional. After finishing their mission work as they returning from Honduras their flight to Houston was delayed by 2 hours. This created panic in the group and they knew they would miss the connecting flight from Houston to Philadelphia. As it was a large group to get another booking for the whole group was impossible. Everyone was upset, some even thought, we came for a mission trip and is this the way things have to end. The Pastor said they all prayed in the airport as they were travelling to Houston to have mercy on them. It is only when they landed in Houston that they could not believe their eyes when they came to know that their connecting flight to Philadelphia was delayed for three hours, giving the group the much needed time to just be in time to catch the flight. I could not believe what the Pastor was saying. Here I am totally stressed out thinking about the time that I had wasted, the long wait at the Houston airport, but now I realized that behind that pain, there was a blessing to another group. I think this is a truth in Christian life. In Genesis 50, we find a wonderful faith perspective of Joseph. The brothers of Joseph stands trembling in front of Joseph. They are scared because of the misdeeds of the past and they know at this point of time, it is Joseph who is powerful and has the right to punish them. But Joseph looks the whole episode of pain and suffering in his life as redemptive. He tells his brothers that though they thought of harming him, God turned that harm into a blessing not only for him but for the whole nation. I think this is something that we need to consciously internalize in our life. When we sometime goes through some pain or discomfort, there may be some blessing for someone else in a redemptive form. Whether it is a wait in the airport or being caught in a traffic jam or some delays in life, there is something that God is teaching us and God is revealing his plan to the world. Our pain may be another persons gain.
Rev. Dr. Joe Joseph Kuruvilla,