Waiting To Arrive

Some of the greatest joys and the darkest sorrows are found in the same place. You can see both of these emotions at any airport, anywhere in the world. And as you might know, I have spent lots of time in many different airports.
It’s such fun to sit in the arrival area. Don’t tell my wife, but I like showing up earlier then I need to, just so I can savor in my soul the joy some people exhibit when someone comes through the security door and their eyes meet. I only pray that it could be the same at all of our church doors. Arriving brings joy that wells up in the heart. It can do nothing else but overflows and come out in some form of physical display of love and affection. We see the demonstration of it, be it tears that drench a broad smile, or that special smile and that warm embrace. Lucky for all us, these feelings are not restricted to any age or nationality. No one apologizes for their emotional outburst. It is a genuine outpouring of love and caring. The wonderful part of these experience is I have felt those same feelings. What joy and excitement.
Tampa’s airport is somewhat different then most other airports you may have been to. What you are greeted with there is, they have two arrival gates, one on each side of a single departure gate. If you sit long enough, you will witness two dissimilar emotions, all within a few feet of each other.
Unlike the joy on the outer two gates, some sorrow is felt in between. And maybe in someway that is how life is. I don’t think the airport designers even thought of this as they planned the developing of this airport. Many times I have seen other tears, and experienced first hand the difficulty of saying our adieu. Maybe life with its sorrows needs to be enveloped in the surrounding joy. Life possesses both the tear of a last touch, and many times, a smile of a fresh embrace. Again, no one apologizes for their emotions. It’s part of living and loving.
Most people miss a third emotion. Somewhere and some times, there is the sadness of not being greeted at all. Occasionally someone comes through the door expecting to see someone waiting for them and there is no familiar face to accept their smile. They stand for a moment or two, look around and around and then walk off into the crowd of fair wells and hellos. In many cases, the sullen face changes to joy when the one they love arrives late to pick them up. But sometimes, sometimes, a heavy heart lets us know that someone is lonely and alone in this great big world.
A long time ago I read a cute story about some missionaries coming home after a life time of service only to arrive at the gate with no one there to greet them. The story ends by saying, Don’t worry about arriving home with no one to greet you at the airport, or a shipyard, because, we are not home yet.
We are not home yet, but one day, Jesus will meet us as we finally arrive home. What joy we will experience. What a home coming we will have. What a place our churches can and should be, when they supply to the world a place of arrival and a place to depart from as Christ prepares a place for us all.
Something to think about.
Rob