We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28
Warning…whining ahead. Ok, I just wanted to give you a heads up that I am about to whine. It really isn’t my fault. I think I was born with it…wired with it. While most babies cried, I whined. If the milk wasn’t quite the right temperature…I didn’t cry…I whined. If it was a quarter past a diaper change…you guessed, I whined. And if someone failed to realize just how precious I was…whine, whine, whine. I am so good at it I believe it must be some kind of gift. I know the Bible talks about people having a special gift from God so who knows…maybe there is a whining gift. People sometimes say you shouldn’t whine but that is probably because they are jealous. Whining is an art, a talent but there is a problem. Nobody seems to appreciate a good whiner. Someone even gave me a little plaque to hang in my office. It simply says, “Thou shalt not whine.” Imagine that.
I try to be a good steward of my whining gift and save it for special occasions, but the problem is, to me everything day is special and almost every situation an opportunity to practice my gift. But tonight, tonight it is valid. Tonight, I have the right to whine…and I have. Here’s why. So, a couple of months ago, my wife Judy and I planned our fall vacation and decided to go back to Fort Myers, Florida. It just sounded like a good idea.
We began to make all the appropriate reservations and arrangements. Car rental…check. Places to stay…check. Plane tickets…check. Yup…we were all set. And then it happened. The airline, which I won’t name but whose name starts with a D and ends with an A decided to change our flight schedule. Hmmm.
We always fly in and out of Evansville because it is so convenient. As close as it is, it is still about an hour and a half from where we live to the airport. We had arranged for the return flight to land in the early afternoon. This is especially important since as a pastor I am supposed to speak the next morning. It’s always good to have a cushion…just in case. Anyway, here comes the email. Surprise, surprise, surprise…we have changed your flight from landing at 4:40pm in the afternoon to 9:09pm (yawn) in the evening. Add an hour and a half drive and it makes 5:00 am come pretty fast.
So, I checked and found out there was indeed a flight that landed at 4:40 pm and there were indeed seats available. I decided to call the airlines and ask them to fix the problem. I dialed the number and the chirpy voice on the recording assured me that I was a valuable customer (I even had a special number to call) and they would be right with me. The expected wait time was just four hours. I’m not kidding, 4:00 hours. Well, I just knew there had to be another way but after spending an hour trying to find it, I realized there was not one. Not an email solution, not a wish, or a prayer…nothing, nada. If I wanted to talk to the nice airline, I would have to stay on the line for four hours. Can someone say crazy?
Well, rather than stay on the line for four hours (yawn) I decided to spend the time writing a story about it. I just know all of you out there in grits land will understand and whine with me. I’m not sure how I’m going to fix the problem, but I assure you it will not involve me holding on the phone for four hours. I can also assure you it will involve an appropriate amount of whining.
Now, fortunately, not all customer service is as poor as this. In fact, there is one place where there is no wait, no busy signal and each person is indeed special. And where would that be…on God’s hotline. I love the fact that my Dearest Daddy is never too busy, never too overwhelmed to take my call. And the best part? He always makes the right call—pun intended. He is too kind to be mean and too wise to make a mistake. Even when His way doesn’t match my way, I am sure that it is the best way. I guess I could ask Him for patience, but I hear the training program for that involves six hour hold times. Yikes!
Well, I feel better now. Thanks for reading and understanding. Who knows, all this might work out for my good…actually, I’m sure it will. I mean the Bible says, “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to His purpose,” and I suppose that includes long holds on the phone. Someone (and that would be me) tells everyone that will listen, “He’s got this” and I believe that He does. I even believe that includes airlines with four hour hold times. How about that. God bless you! Bro. Dewayne
Grits with Grace 