Blessed by “Distractions”

“Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other” (Romans 12:10, NLT).

A few years ago I was preparing to board a plane for an important engagement. Right before the jet-way door closed, I scrambled aboard the plane going from Knoxville to Chicago, lugging my laptop and overstuffed briefcase. It was the first leg of a trip to Oklahoma City where I was to speak at a national conference on theology. It had been a busy week, so I was looking forward to using the flight time to put the finishing touches on my presentation. As I waited to step on the plane, I remember half wishing, and half praying, “Please God; let there be an empty seat next to mine, I don’t need any distractions.” I was on the aisle in a two seat row. As I approached my seat, in the seat beside mine, next to the window, sat a young boy wearing a big red tag around his neck: Minor Traveling Unattended. The kid sat perfectly still, hands in his lap, eyes straight ahead.

He’d probably been told never to talk to strangers. “That’s probably a good thing,” I thought. Then the flight attendant came by. “Michael, I have to sit down because we’re about to take off,” she said to the little boy. “This nice man will answer any of your questions, okay?”

Did I have a choice? I offered my hand, and Michael shook it twice, straight up and down. “Hi, I’m Travis,” I said. “You must be about 7 years old.”

“I’ll bet you don’t have any kids,” he responded.

“Why do you think that? Sure I do; I have three kids.”

“Because I’m six,” was Michael’s response.

I chuckled and said, “I was way off, huh?”

The captains’ voice came over the speakers: “Flight attendants prepare for takeoff.” Michael pulled his seat belt tighter and gripped the armrests as the jet engines roared. I leaned over and said, “Right about now, I usually say a prayer. I ask God to keep us safe and protect us on our flight.”

“Amen,” he said, and then added, “but I’m not afraid of dying. I’m not afraid because my mama’s already in heaven.”

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“Look at those boats down there!” Michael said as the plane banked over the lakes in the area. “Where are they going?” he asked.

“Just going boating, water skiing, and having a good time. And there’s probably a fishing boat with a couple of guys like you and me,” I responded.

“Doing what?” he asked.

I replied, “Just fishing, maybe for bass or catfish. Does your dad ever take you fishing?”

I was crushed by his response. “I don’t have a dad,” Michael said sadly.

I was hoping to have time to get some work done, and ended up in a seat beside a young boy who had recently lost his mother, the only parent he had known. I had asked God for no distractions on the flight, and He had blessed me by “distracting” my attention with Michael, who had no parents, and was traveling alone on a plane at the age of 7. Talk about a change in perspective and re-arranging priorities!

Michael was shown the VIP treatment from the crew during snack time. The flight attendant had told him to come with her and she was going to show him around the plane.  I took out my laptop and tried to work a little, but my mind kept going to Michael. I couldn’t stop looking at the crumpled grocery bag on the floor by his seat. He’d told me that everything he owned was in that bag. While Michael was getting a tour of the cockpit, the flight attendant told me his grandmother would pick him up in Chicago. In the seat pocket a large manila envelope held all the paperwork regarding his custody.

He came back to his seat excited and told me, “I got wings! I got cards! I got more peanuts. I saw the pilot and he said I could come back anytime!” The excitement was quick lived, and he began to stare at the manila envelope.

“What are you thinking about?” I asked Michael. He didn’t answer. He buried his face in his hands and started sobbing. “What’s the matter buddy?” I asked.

All I got were muffled words. “I don’t know my grandma. Mama didn’t want her to come visit and see her sick. What if Grandma doesn’t want me? Where will I go?”

“Michael, do you remember the Christmas story? Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus? Remember how they came to Bethlehem just before Jesus was born? It was late and cold, and they didn’t have anywhere to stay, no family, no hotels, not even hospitals where babies could be born. Well, God was watching out for them. He found them a place to stay; a stable with animals.”

“Wait, wait,” Michael tugged on my sleeve. “I know Jesus. I remember now.” Then he closed his eyes, lifted his head and began to sing. His voice rang out with a strength that rocked his tiny frame. “Jeeesus looooves me--thiiiiiis I knowwwwwww. For the Biiiiiible tells meeeeee sooooo.....”

Passengers turned or stood up to see the little boy who made the large sound. Michael didn’t notice his audience. With his eyes shut tight and voice lifted high, he was in a good place.

“You’ve got a great voice,” I told him when he was done. “I’ve never heard anyone sing like that.”

“Mama said God gave me good pipes just like my Grandma’s,” he said. “My Grandma loves to sing, she sings in her church choir.”

The seat belt sign came on as we approached Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. By the time the seat belt sign went off, passengers were rushing down the aisle. Michael and I stayed seated.

“Are you gonna go with me?” he asked.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world buddy!” Clutching his bag and the manila envelope in one hand, he grabbed my hand with the other. The two of us followed the flight attendant down the jet-way. All the noises of the airport seemed to fill the corridor. Michael stopped, slipped his hand from mine, and dropped to his knees. His mouth quivered. His eyes brimmed with tears.

“What’s wrong Michael? I’ll carry you if you want,” I said.

When I knelt next to him, he grabbed my neck. I felt his warm, wet face as he whispered in my ear, “I want my mama!!!”

I tried to stand, but Michael squeezed my neck even harder. Then I heard a rattle of footsteps on the corridor’s metal floor. “Is that you baby?” I couldn’t see the woman behind me, but I heard the warmth in her voice. “Oh baby,” she cried. “Come here. Grandma loves you so much. I need a hug baby.”

Michael’s grandma stroked his arm. “You’ve got folks waiting for you out there Michael. Do you know that you’ve got aunts and uncles and cousins?” She patted his skinny shoulders and started humming. Then she lifted her head and sang. She knew the perfect song. Her strong, clear voice filled the passageway, “Jesus loves me -- this I know...”

Michael’s gasps quieted. Still holding him, I stood up, nodded hello to his grandma and watched her pick up the grocery bag. Right before we got to the doorway of the terminal, Michael loosened his grip around my neck and reached for his grandma. As soon as she walked across the threshold with him, cheers erupted. From the size of the crowd, I figured family, friends, pastors, deacons, choir members and most of the neighbors had come to meet Michael. I waved and turned the corner.

As I made my way to the gate for my connecting flight, I barely noticed the weight of my overstuffed briefcase and laptop. I started to wonder who would be in the seat next to mine this time...... And I smiled.

Pray with Me:

God, help me recognize the difference between distractions and opportunities. Amen.