Go On Through
January 31, 2006
Every time I come to Africa, I bring the maximum alloted weight for my luggage. Then I stop in Johannesburg for a day or two. When I resume my itinerary, the airlines always charge me extra for excess weight. I have fussed and argued with them, stating my case that they allowed me to bring it in at no extra charge. Why would they then charge me extra to take it to my final destination? The last time the man looked at me and handed me a sheet with a number for consumer complaints. I called and the number wasn't working.
So yesterday as I prepared for my trip to Harare, I decided that it wasn't worth the aggravation. They were going to charge me, I am doing God's work, it's not my money but His, so I refused to even think about it. I got to the airport in plenty of time to check in, pay my excess and try to get the seat I wanted. When I put the luggage on the scale, the woman asked me where I was traveling from. When I said, "The States," she said, "Go on through." She waived the extra fee!
This is a great example of the issues of trust and faith that I have been dealing with the last few years. How often I have been in a similar situation, fretting and worrying over the outcome. Then I have seen God intervene and I found that all my fretting was for nothing. It was a waste of energy and time. What's more, it evidenced my lack of faith in God's ability to take care of me and the things that pertain to my work. I know the truth of Psalm 138:8a in the New American Standard translation, but don't always walk it out: "The Lord will accomplish what concerns me."
Does this mean I will never be charged excess weight fees again? I hope so, but I doubt it. What it does mean, however, is that when I am, God is in control and there's no need for me to get uptight. So here I am in Harare, I have unpacked all my stuff, and I'm ready for a busy four-week stay. Hopefully, I will be able to apply the faith lesson with which my trip began when the woman said, "Go on through."
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