Delays

I was recently listening to a podcast about seeking God’s direction for your life—learning to notice the “red lights” and “green lights” He gives us. Some doors seem wide open for us to walk through, while others remain firmly shut. Sometimes we don’t understand why certain opportunities stay closed, but we can rest assured that God always has our best interests in mind on the other side.

We recently got to experience this in a very practical way. This weekend, it was time for us to leave for a ministers’ conference in Kansas City, and our original plan was to fly out early Sunday morning. Of course, winter storm Fern hit, and our flights were pushed back an entire day!

We arrived at the Jackson airport around 5:45 Monday morning, only to be met with more delays. We finally made it to Dallas around noon, then waited all day until our flight was ultimately canceled around 11 p.m. It wasn’t just us—thousands of people around us were frustrated and exhausted as they tried to figure out what was next, many sleeping in corners on the airport floor.

I’d be lying if I said we weren’t tired and frustrated too. My luggage got stuck in Dallas, and we were finally able to book an Uber driver with a 4x4 truck who confidently drove us through the ice in the middle of the night to the nearest hotel with availability. We made it to our temporary stop around 2 a.m.

While this sounds terrible, in the middle of all the chaos, a lot of good things happened too. At the airport, we ran into a friend who was headed to the same event, and we decided to rent a car and drive the rest of the way together. We met a really sweet Christian couple who waved down a shuttle driver headed to the car rentals, allowing us to get picked up quickly instead of waiting in the cold. God kept us safe on the icy roads. My luggage finally arrived in Kansas City the next day, and I even got to buy some bonus clothes while I waited and hoped my belongings weren’t permanently lost.

I don’t know why we missed the first half of the conference—we missed some great workshops and the chance to see friends who were only there for part of the week. It wasn’t as though God was protecting us from something harmful; it simply wasn’t His timing for us to be there yet. Life works that way sometimes. We don’t always understand why God gives us “red lights” to good things. And sometimes we may go our whole lives never knowing why He says no to something we deeply want. But we can trust that He truly works all things together for good, in His perfect timing.

While my airport story felt big in the moment, it’s not as significant as some of the delays we face in life. Maybe you long for a family and have watched friends around you get married and have children while you’re still waiting for a spouse. Maybe you hoped to attend a specific college, and that door was firmly closed. Maybe you feel behind in your career while everyone else seems to be thriving. Dear friend, I pray that this very week—right in the middle of frustration and heartache—you would feel God’s love and see His hand at work in your life, even in the longest delays.

“At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen.” Isaiah 60:22b NLT