There are many times in our lives when it is beneficial to stop and reflect on life.

The focus should be on the good things. Let’s call them blessings. Yes, every human has multiple bad things that have happened. Both of us can remember them. We’ll focus on the blessings. They bring joy. Life misfortunes bring sadness.

 

This story is about a blessing that started as a misfortune. Think of it as me stopping to look back and see the blessings. This is what my suggestion is for you. As we live our lives…look back at the blessings. While I use the word “story”, what I am about to tell you really happened.

 

My wife and I take grandchildren to Florida for a week of vacation. We go in the spring. We usually take two grand kids. Those between the ages of 11 and 14 are eligible. Any younger, there could be homesickness. Any older and they get too busy, plus they may not appreciate the trip fully. Call it adolescent brain fog if you like.

 

This year’s trip held special interest for me. We had been able to purchase air fare at a great price. In addition, our second flight (It takes two hops to our destination.) would arrive in early afternoon. This meant we could drive the rest of they way to the island arriving in time for an evening meal. Some of our previous trips required an overnight hotel stay. It was enjoyable to think of seeing and hearing the surf on our first night.

 

There was a negative. My wife and I were both willing to accept it because we would arrive on the island the same day we began our vacation. The negative was a 5 AM airport departure. It didn’t seem to be a negative that we had to stay in a hotel near the airport the night before. It didn’t seem to be a negative that we had to be in the hotel lobby by 2:45 AM to catch the hotel shuttle. When we got out of the hotel shuttle at the airport, all of the previous inconvenience seemed trivial. We were all excited!

 

It was-until we got to the airline counter to check in.

 

Nearing the counter, I began to pat my pockets for my cell phone. My cell phone is in a case that holds my drivers license, and credit cards. I only patted one pocket and I knew. I had left my phone on the shuttle van seat just behind the driver. Because my phone feels like a full-sized tool box in my pocket-I had set it on the seat between my legs.

 

Have you ever experienced the combined feeling of awful and stupid with a blend of sorrow and embarrassment stirred in? In that first instant, I couldn’t remember where my phone was. In the next, I knew I was sunk. No one travels on an airplane without identification. If I didn’t get my phone back soon-our trip was in jeopardy. Remorse hit about then. I apologized to my wife and our grandkids for the unexpected mess I had just created. Because I was quite certain it had to be on the seat, I called my phone using my wife’s phone. The shuttle van only had the driver in the driver’s seat, he was headed back to the hotel. Of course, he couldn’t answer, he was on a 4-lane highway. A call to hotel to ask them to have the driver turn around to deliver my phone created more stress. No. He could not return. He had a schedule to keep. But he would return in an hour.

 

What happened next is the first blessing. My wife and grandson willingly went to a spot near the airline check in desk and waited. I regret making them wait like that. Neither complained-then or afterwards…first blessing. The second blessing was our granddaughter. She said, “I’ll go with you grandpa.” She went with me. She sat with me as I anxiously watched shuttle van after shuttle van drop off passengers. All were happy it seemed to me. Every one of them, it seemed to me had their cell phones. Do you know how it feels to know time to board our flight was close and I had no identification? Try helpless, hopeless, frustrated and foolish-one or the other sometimes all of them bombarded my mind. When I expressed my frustration and embarrassment our gracious granddaughter was understanding. She tried to help me see the good side of the situation. She was the second blessing.

 

 

The third blessing was seeing the shuttle van drive up. As we ran out to meet it, the driver came around the corner of the van and held out my cell phone. I hugged him in relief. Then my granddaughter and I ran. She helped me remember all the twists and turns we took to get to our airline check in.

 

With our family reunited, relief started to seep in. But our flight was scheduled to leave in less than an hour.  We hadn’t even gone through security. Thank you for feeling my pain.

 

The airline ticket agent on the floor sent us with a frustrated flourish to the ticket agent at the very end of our airline’s row of check in agents. This lady was blessing four. She was absolutely sent from heaven. First, the bad news. You see we had paid for a checked bag. The plane we were to take had already CLOSED the cargo bay. She quickly said to me, “I’m sending you with your bag.” While I fearfully pondered all the destinations she could send me with our checked bag-she hustled the other three members of my family to the security check in. Then she came back and called the agent at the gate and told them to “hold the plane…three more are on the way.” They made it! That’s another blessing-number 5.

 

But I can’t see any blessings yet.

 

Then the airline ticket agent came back and focused on her computer monitor. After two failed attempts, she said aloud, “This will work.” She turned and looked at me with a smile and said, “I’m sending you to Charlotte, North Carolina.” (Meanwhile my wife and two grand kids were boarding the flight to Dallas-Fort Worth.) While I wasn’t jumping for joy, I knew she’d saved our flights…and the first part of our vacation. I thanked her with as much gratitude and I could and hustled off to catch my flight to Charlotte.

 

While in my seat on the plane to Charlotte, the relief piled on. Things were going to work out. The disaster of leaving my phone in the hotel shuttle van was slightly muted. But a new problem arose. We had been on the move since 2:15 AM. I arrived in Charlotte at 11 AM Eastern. I hadn’t had any coffee yet. Even with a coffee emergency staring me in the face I would not relax until I had walked myself to the gate for the plane which would take me to Florida and reunite me with my family. Once at the gate, I even asked the ticket agent for confirmation of when my flight left.

 

Now I stared the coffee gremlin in the face and began the hunt for coffee. I found a Starbucks. I was willing to pay Starbucks prices…the coffee gremlin smiled.

 

I go in line behind a muscular, tall, young, blonde headed guy. He turned and looked at me. I said, “Hi.” His actual first words to me were, “So, how’s your day been?”

 

He really said, “So, how’s your day been?”

I said, “Do you really want to know?”

Guess what…He said, “Yes, I do.”

So, I told him most of what I’ve just told you.

 

His name is Mike (not his real name). He’s a Marine. Then he got me in the right line to order. He was in the pick up your order line. I got my coffee, walked by him and said “Have a great day Mike.” I meant it. He had lifted my spirits. Telling him how my day had been caused me to realize I’d experienced a number of miracles…Mike was one more.

 

God directed my wife and grandson the patience to wait. They did not blame me.

God directed our granddaughter to encourage me.

God helped the shuttle van driver find my phone and deliver it.

God provided an extra wise, patient, and kind airline ticket agent.

God got me to Charlotte, NC…He used some pilots and an airplane-but HE got me to Charlotte.

HE put me behind Mike. (I am still praying for Mike. He was a blessing to me that day.)

God got me to Florida…and my wife and two grand kids were waiting.

We made it to the island for our evening meal.

 

The Bible tells us to remember God’s miracles. If I hadn’t misplaced my cell phone, I would have missed all of God’s miracles for that day. There were miracles that day. There is no other way to explain what happened.

 

Remember the wondrous works that He has done, His miracles, and the judgments He uttered…Psalm 105:5

Want to know the greatest of all God’s miracles for us?

Jesus died for you and me.

Nobody does that.

Only Jesus.