6 am. Two weeks ago, I was at the airport with my children ready to go to the East Coast. On the same airline we always travel. In the same terminal we generally checked in. At the same security check point we usually screened through.
Two of my children have severe food allergies since birth. So I always bring along an alternate milk when we travel. Because there are cities we visit where we can’t find this particular beverage for them.
As part of the routine, the security officials will look over, test, and then approve of this alternative.
Except this morning, the man handling our case had a different stance: Not today. You can’t bring this liquid on board.
We travel so much I actually recognized him from past security clearances. This shocked me even more.
So amidst the hustle and bustle, chaotic line of passengers rushing to get to their gate.
I stood there trying to explain. That one of my kids is anaphylactic. That this child has been hospitalized in the emergency room in the past.
But his stance was unmoved: Not today.
In the political arena in Washington DC, a government shutdown was taking place. So, employees like him had not received a salary in a few weeks.
Maybe it was too early in the day. Maybe he was having a bad morning. Maybe he was upset of not being paid from the government agency that employed him.
Whatever the “maybe.” His stance remained: Not today.
I was struggling to process what was happening.
Out of the blue, I burst out very loud:
“This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.
This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Random strangers around me. This security man in front of me. My children behind me.
He probably thought I was out of my mind. But I needed something to hold onto.
Do you have an anchor? What do you grasp onto, when your day takes an unexpected turn that you weren’t prepared for?
Keep an anchor close by. When the waves of the day turn rough, hold onto the Real Truth that will not let you sink.
“We have this hope as an anchor for our soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.” —Hebrew 6:19