Mark Twain said you could learn a lot of new things about a cat by dragging one home by the tail. Many of life’s lessons come the hard way and in difficult places. Often a teaching moment comes in unexpected ways and places. God taught me several things one day at the international airport in Zurich, Switzerland.
Here is the first, the cat dragging lesson. I was the leader of a large mission team. I learned that leading 51 people from 23 different churches, 5 different associations, leaving from 4 different airports can be a logistical nightmare. Especially when best laid plans are ruined with delays, cancelled and rescheduled flights that had my team scattered in across the Atlantic. Instead of all meeting in Atlanta and flying overseas together as planned, I arrived in Zurich with mission volunteers, safely in God’s hands but scattered over the Atlantic. I needed to locate much of my team.
The airline attendant was kind enough as she was doing her best to help but we were both frustrated with the difficulties of my messed up flight schedules that were compounded by our language barriers so we were struggling with both when a man pushed his way in front of me and said, in broken English; “I need help!” I gave him the look that crossed language barriers to let him know I did not care for his behavior as he cut in front of me as I was in the middle of my important business. The airline attendant did better. She scolded him saying; “You will have to wait. I am helping this man!” He cried out; “I’ve lost my child!”
Immediately everything changed. I no longer worried about his previous ‘rude behavior’ that was now quite understandable. My business could wait. The airline attendant no longer worried about scolding the man who ‘interrupted’ her work with me. This was a priority! The airport was a moving sea of people. The panic of a small child lost in that mass of humanity needed no translation for all of us. Immediately we all went into action. Nothing was more important than the lost child. Even as you read this account you can sense the urgency in your own emotions. All available resources were immediately called upon until we found the child. When we found him we all shared a celebration of joy. When we went back to our previously frustrating task of getting schedules coordinated there was a difference. We were all smiling! We were relaxed our problems with language and flight logistics seemed insignificant. We had recovered a lost child!
Here is the life lesson for churches and believers. Nothing is more important than finding lost people. We get so caught up in things that we think are priorities at the moment. While they may have their importance they are not usually eternal and not worth the trouble and frustration we give them. Arguments, anger, personal agendas and frustration all fade away when we are looking for lost people. All things are placed in their proper perspective when we regain the urgency and understanding that eternal issues take priority and other issues are very much secondary especially not worth worrying or fighting over. Finding lost people is much more rewarding and fun than arguing over stuff!
