Delayed Flight, Expedited Friendships

The terminal was huge, and would-be passengers were spread throughout waiting for their long delayed flight from Greenville, SC to St. Pete, FL. This was no business crowd, instead it was mostly families who were more patient with delays and who were glad to save a buck with a discount airline.

We were only concerned with our youngest, constantly trying to come up with new, innovative ways to keep a 20 month old from screaming our ears off well past midnight. But our other three—this was a dream come true. We generously doled out soft pretzels, and caramel covered Bugles. The airline felt bad and gave out ice-cold soft drinks (I’m sure they cut off my son Craig at some point).

Groups of kids were chasing each other, drawing, playing cards, and huddled around DVD players watching cartoons. And as I met and spoke with one parent from Tampa in another part of the terminal, my four year old, Benjamin ran up, looked at his kids, and said with a smile, “Look dad, we have more friends up here.”

We dreaded this evening on account of our infant (for good reason). But to see this experience through an older kid’s eyes is something of a delight, even something like the New Heavens and New Earth. It will be like a massive, mile long terminal, better yet, a City. It will be ripe for, and inviting to, young explorers who long to see what is around the next corner. It will be full of interesting games and activities. And yes, it will be full of friends—but not limited to the friendships we have on this earth. Instead, everyone will be our friend. We will know them instantly, and grow in our knowledge and love of them with endless time. We will run on young legs to the next group, and the next group, of laughing, excited sojourners, and we will say to one another, “Look, we have more friends up here.”