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Plane Ride to
Humility
By Cara Baker This summer I was catching a
connecting plane to Cleveland from Detroit when I heard that the departing gate
had been switched across the airport. I set off running harder and faster than
Jackie Joyner-Kersee as I heard “Final boarding call for Flight 3948 to
Cleveland.” I thought I would die. I pushed harder as faces blurred past me,
sharp pains cramped my side, and my lunch swam in my stomach. Hyperventilating, sweating and
scared to death, I miraculously made it to the gate. The gate attendant gave me
the glare of death for being late and ripped my boarding pass as if she were
imagining it was my head. I collapsed in my seat, embarrassed by my heavy
breathing and managed a wane smile for my Indian seat neighbor. A minute later, the flight
attendant announced that they’d be delaying takeoff for 15 more minutes so a
group connecting from an international flight could make it. Ahhhh! I was ready
to walk the whole way. Finally, a caravan of about 10
sweaty, loud, and obnoxious people climbed on board, laughing and joking as they
hit passengers in the head with their too-large, carry-on items. Their noise
level never adjusted to the quietness of the plane as they sucked all of the
available oxygen from the cramped cabin. The group, from some small Ohio
town, talked about their conquests with an unfortunate passenger who asked them
where they had been. “India. On a two-week mission trip,” was the reply.
They boasted on how many miniature Bibles they passed out and people they
“ministered” to in passing. They complained about how uncomfortable their
accommodations were, how hot the sun was, and how overpopulated the region was.
Then they laughed about the way small, hungry children flocked them when they
passed out bags of chocolate bars. I appreciated their interest in
missions; however, their condescending air led others to believe the experience
helped neither parties involved. Malnourished children need more than a
chocolate bar from some pompous foreigner. I looked at the guy next to me, who
was also annoyed by their disturbance and gave him a look like, “I’m not
with them.” I’m sure the group had good
intentions, or else they wouldn’t have spent their money and time going on
this trip. However, these people hadn’t learned compassion. Like the
Pharisees, they seemed more interested in letting others know of their good
works, instead of having a heart for missions. As scripture states: “Let love be without dissimulation [or hypocrisy].”
(Romans 12:9) The entire chapter of Romans 12
admonishes believers to love others with compassion and treat them as more
deserving. This requires being willing to let someone else get the credit for
good works. This rowdy group may have had good intentions with their missions
trip, but they ruined their witness with their condescending tales of conquest. I can’t imagine what it’s like to live in the streets of Calcutta; neither
do I know what it’s like to have hoards of starving children swarm for a piece
of chocolate. But if I am to reach out to hurting souls, whether it be that
child in a third world country, the homeless man sleeping on a park bench, or a
co-worker, I cannot allow myself to think I’m better than them. However, I
can’t deny I am better off than they are for living in the grace and peace
that comes with salvation and the knowledge of the truth.
“For
I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to
think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly,
according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” (Romans
12:3) ninetyandnine.com Article
© Cara Baker, 1999 ------- Cara Baker, a rare native Nashvillian, majors in journalism at Belmont University, where she serves as editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper, The Belmont Vision. She dreads the thought of graduating in May and having to join the real world. Have an opinion on an article? Let us know how you feel! Click feedback & fill us in. |
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