Love/Hate

I was having a great time. We made it to our second connecting flight so things were definitely looking up. Only one more to go, this one in Dubai. It seemed the doors were staying open for good! I had a great nap in the reLAX lounge, (in LA), and my spirits were soaring.
Then, as we were in flight, I got up to go to the bathroom.
I’m sitting by the window with Joe in the middle and the sweetest Indian young lady is in the aisle. I had selected the perfect seats, in a row of two, months ago, but those were swept away with the weather and our original itinerary. I’m not complaining, mind you, I’m happy to be on board anything that’s flying East. Nevertheless, I confess, I am one of those people who spot out the “loo” and the clearest path to and fro from the moment I arrive. I loathe inconveniencing the person in the aisle. And when I strategize our seating online it is with the utmost care given to every detail of every minute we will be suspended in the air. I actually visit sights like “seatguru.com” to fully maximize comfort and mobility. ( The Lord definitely has some kinks yet to work out in me…)
I scooted over our new friend and Joe and happened to see the young gentleman seated directly behind me. In the time it took to turn my head and look into his eyes, I felt his disdain and it jogged me. At once my spirit fell and I was whisked back into reality. I thought I’d felt the back of my seat being kicked, but passed it off as imagination. But now I’m certain. That young man told me everything I needed to know about his feelings for me when he shot me that glance. There was a coldness directed at me that was in no way warranted.
It’s been many years since I’ve been the victim of undeserved stereotyping, but the taste is one that I shall never forget. That man in the seat behind me, with whom I will be traveling for the next 16 hours, wants me to know that I am not welcome in his world. And I, in a brief, passing, pity party, wondered why someone would travel across the world, away from people who really love her, to try and save people like the one back there, who hates me for no reason at all. Hmmmm…
It’s the essence of the Gospel message isn’t it? Love is the driving force. And Jesus is about to teach me yet another lesson.
What I do as a servant of Christ, I do for the same reason a lot better people than I have done it for centuries upon centuries before I ever thought of doing it. Because He did it for me who hated Him for no reason at all. Because maybe that guy, the kicker, needs God’s love every bit as much as I did when I was kicking away for years at Christ’s seat back, until finally He just turned around and told me, “You can kick all you want, Barb, but I’m still going to love you. You can shoot daggers at me with your eyes, too, but I will say, ‘Father, forgive her for she knows not what she does.’”
I must constantly resist the worldly temptation to return evil for evil. Barbara before Christ would have turned around and said, perhaps not so kindly, “What’s your problem?!” , and returned a few glares from her own personal assortment. Instead, next time I go to the bathroom I might offer him an act of love--a quick smile--upon my return. I’m not saying it’ll be easy. I don’t even want to look in his direction, to tell you the truth. I’m just saying I’ll try. I’ll let the Holy Spirit lead, as indeed I must do every single second if I’m ever going to get this right!
I know this. I’ve taught this! If I can’t do that one, not so simple, thing--love--when it‘s hardest to do it, then what am I doing here anyway?
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