Once when my wife and I returned from a trip, we allowed plenty of time to make the trek from hotel to airport—more than three hours, in fact.
However, a series of unforeseen events conspired against us, making our schedule tighter and tighter with each progressive twist.
As each delay transpired, it became less likely that we would make our flight. I kept telling myself, “We will either make our flight or we will not; there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Therefore, I might as well just relax and watch events unfold.
My sage advice, however, was easier to say than to do; it is more viable in theory than in practice. As the clock ticked down, I became more unnerved and on edge.
Fortunately, airport security went smoothly and was efficient—despite me forgetting to discard the bottle of water from my carry on. (It was intended to enjoy with the breakfast that we had to skip.)
We arrived at the gate, breathless, haggard, and hungry, mere seconds before the call for final boarding.
As we settled into our seats, I tried to calm my frayed nerves. I was reminded of the fact that while we can’t control the things that happen to us, we can control our reaction to them.
In fact, it is the only thing that we can control—and I have done a poor job of it.
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Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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