"Jesus....Can I Have Your Cookie?" (Gidget's Journey Home.....Part 1)

As I checked in my luggage and proceeded to the infamous security scan; I overheard people that were also preparing to board the flight for Denver…some flying on to other locations; Detroit with me, or staying in Denver as their final destination. They were talking about the mundane or about returning to college after their extended Thanksgiving break; others sharing business information, and some….like me, just going home and not speaking to anyone. Sure, there was the underlying tension of security as people expected the hype that has been shown on the news for weeks; but this was Santa Barbara and there was not much more than the metal detector/scanner and x-ray machines for our carry-on bags; no pat downs, no human heat activated scanners that left little to the imagination, and not ONE rude security agent.

But as I sat there listening to various conversations going on around me, there was not one mention of the pilot, or the co-pilot for that matter. No one was talking about the flight attendants or the guys that checked our luggage or those that would load it into the underbelly of the plane.

The reason I focused on this today was because it was truly the first time I put all of the pieces together and I literally smiled and began to tear up. Sure…to those around me I could easily answer the question; if it came up. “Why was I crying?” I was sad to leave my parents at the boarding gate or happy to see my husband and daughter after so much time and distance between us. But the reason I cry, even now as I type from seat 17A, is because myself and 118 of my “closest friends” are on a plane flown by a man, or team of men, that we will never see. We sit in our seats, “buckled in for safety” and have faith that they will get us to our destination; either to Denver or to catch other flights to connecting cities. We trust them literally ….. with our lives yet we have no idea who they are, what their qualifications may be, if they had a fight with someone and are in a bad mood, or if they are Christians and have a relationship with Jesus like I do.

There are people out there that can’t (or won’t) believe what the bible tells us; the proof that God is and always has been there for us with our best interest at heart. They question our unwavering faith when we have 66 books to reference from. They doubt that “He is real” or could ever forgive them for their past and they don’t have faith that He can get them through anything and will never give them more than they can handle.

Yet… there are 119 of us on board, not including the “in flight” staff that have ALL put our faith in man. A man we don’t know and have no proof or history of what he is capable of. But no one is sitting in their seats worrying about what happens next; they “just know” that the Frontier Airlines flight #1082 will land at 6:22pm local time and the weather is 52 and cloudy.

I look around and wonder what each passenger’s story is; are we what we appear to be?

In the seat to my right is a man in his 70s; plaid shirt, worn jeans, and a cowboy hat tucked under the seat in front of him. Is he saved? Does he have a relationship with Jesus? I would like to think I would strike up a conversation with him about it…but he is sleeping. Whew…. If he wakes and asks me; I’m all over it….I think. How many times has he flown? Does he ever wonder who is in the cockpit getting him from Point A to Point B?

Taking up two rows in the seats ahead of me are 7 people traveling together. They look to be a combination of two families, dropping one back at college and stretching it into a holiday of their own in Denver. I hope they weren’t looking to be skiing this week as it is unseasonably warm (which I am thankful for since a snow delay is out of the question). The “mom” wears a small cross around her neck and she smiles at me, as she passes me down the aisle. It warms my heart to see a symbol of Him and I hope it is to show her belief and not a fashion statement. Does she pray for those on this flight as I do; for their safety to where they are going and to give them strength whatever their story?

(Ugh…. Thankfully Jesus loves me just the way I am because I just looked down to see several chocolate chips from my free cookie lying on my white tshirt beneath my grey sweater. When I tried to gently lift them off, they smeared into a melted mess. I tried to pull the tee down further to hide beneath my v-neck and then noticed another errant chip on the outside of the sweater. Crap. I can imagine the first embrace with my husband now at baggage claim…. “Hi honey. I haven’t seen you in six months and now I am a melted chocolate mess. Miss me?”). 

I digress…..

Since becoming a Christian everything just seems so “natural” to me. It is so easy for me to believe all that He says. It is like I have known him all my life and not only accept what happens to me; I expect it…good and bad. But no matter what the scenario, I know He is with me. I even imagine him in the empty seat next to me. (I wonder what would happen if I told the flight attendant that Jesus wants a cookie and he said I could have it…. and oh yeah, he said I should get some extra napkins to fashion a makeshift bib).

I am elated to be going home after such a long time but there will even be unrest tomorrow when I go back to “real life.” I don’t worry about it because “he never gives me more than I can handle.” (Guess he really trusts me….almost as much as my “friends” aboard this plane trust our pilot). I just want everyone to have what I have; which is funny if you think about it. I was always stingy in my past and wanted to be unique; the only one with THAT Coach bag or the biggest, boldest, only redhead in the crowd. Now, I want everyone to ask about what I have or why I am in the mood I am in so I can share with them. Sometimes I am even bold enough to speak first and offer what I have before they can even question me.

This is probably THE most random blog entry to date but I can’t guarantee it will be the most random one I ever put out there. Sorry… it was just where my head was at and He told me to put it out there. I mean; this IS a journal of MY journey, right?  =)

How could so many passengers trust a pilot so blindly but question the relationship we have with Christ? Maybe these people wouldn’t. Maybe they each have their own relationship and are wondering the very same thing. We are all passengers on a journey somewhere throughout our lives but who’s driving (or flying) you to the destination? Is he some nameless, faceless guy in a cockpit hiding behind a microphone like the Wizard of Oz?

Or…

Is he your best friend? Could you walk up and open the cockpit doors and sit next to him if you wanted to? Could you share anything with him and know that he would love you anyway; even covered in chocolate chip cookie. Would he give you his cookie if you asked for it? Would you have to ask for it?

Yeah… that is how I see Jesus. I know that the pilot getting me home today isn’t some nameless faceless guy but Jesus working through him. I don’t have faith in a “man” to get me home today; I have faith in Jesus to get me there and anywhere else we decide to go.

And the answer: He would give you his cookie without you having to ask for it. I got another one and so far…it is not anywhere other than my mouth. But, just like Jesus, I know that my husband loves me just the way I am too; covered in chocolate chip cookie or not.

Thank God!!