Grace in Midair

Myanmar Sunset (flight from Bangkok to Yangon)

It's not the destination but the journey that matters.  I don't know who originally wrote this quote but I certainly agree with it.  Those of us who travel a lot know the feeling of anticipation, of wanting to touch down and be where we've planned to go.  Yet, there's no rushing the journey.  Sometimes we find ourselves in midair longer than expected, like those times when our plane cannot not land because of traffic congestion in the airport.  Some of us simply sit back and relax.  Others restlessly and anxiously check on their gadgets and watches. Still others would allow annoyance to get the better of them and start complaining. 

We are all travellers.  Often, both in our journeys in the world outside as well as in our own inner worlds, we find ourselves wanting to see and be where the real action is, to be in our destination.  We just can't wait to see what lies ahead so much so that we lose track of the beauty that's present in the here-and-now, in the waiting. 

Papua New Guinea's Rainforest (flight from Madang to Port Moresby)

I've been finding myself in this state of can't-wait-to-see-what-lies-ahead these past days. We are in a transition as an organisation.  Thirty percent of our colleagues overseas are expected to lose their jobs in the next four months.  We in the regions are either anxious or looking forward to the restructuring that looms. Internally, I feel the Spirit prompting me to new invitations. Anxiety is eating me up.  It's not anxiety over losing a job though as I've always trusted in the providence and wisdom of the Divine;  rather, it's anxiety over not knowing what lies ahead. Will there be a role for me in the restructured organisation?  Is this a role that will nurture my spirit?  What will the new team look like?  If the Spirit is leading me to move on from this organisation, where does She want me to go and what does She want me to do? 

Coron, Palawan's White Sand Beaches (flight from Manila to Coron)

In prayer and meditation, Christ lovingly holds my hand and invites me to be still and be patient, to trust that, in God's perfect time, everything will unfold.  Savour the journey, learn from it, experience Me right here where you are, God seems to be telling me. And so I take deep breaths and try. . . very hard. . . to simply let go and trust that when the right time comes, I will know and will once again witness that better days are ahead, that God's wondrous plans are always so much better than what I could ever imagine. 

Agitation, impatience, and restlessness still creep in once in a while, but when they do, I try to sit back and take joy in the sight of what is before me and the promise it brings. 

Mount Everest (flight from Kathmandu to Kuala Lumpur)