“What is that sound!? (HOUR 1)”
“WAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!! WAAAAAAA!!!!!!”
3 hours straight…that’s all I heard.
It seemed like an eternity!
Almost from runway to runway…
Nashville, TN to Los Angeles, CA…
WAAAAAAAA!!! WWAAAAAAAA!!!
(…and HOUR 3)
There’s NOTHING quite like a crying baby on a plane.
Even more impressive is how a cute cuddly little baby that was smiling in line 10 minutes ago can turn into Godzilla and hold the whole plane captive.
Poor mom. She was trying soooo hard. It was written all over her face.
I was praying that a grandma would come from the last row and offer the ‘magic knee.’ You know the kind where she lays the baby across her lap, bounces her knee a few times, and within a few seconds the baby is in that DEEP sleep and a fire alarm can’t awaken it.
Yeah…that knee!
Unfortunately, the ‘magic knee’ never appeared.
I felt for the mother but what really intrigued me on this flight were people’s varying responses to the screams of the baby.
On the one hand, you could tell who had experience with babies (parents, grandparents, uncles, and aunts, etc.) You could tell who had experience with babies because the compassionate looks for the flustered mother were coming from all directions.
On the other hand, you could also tell who hadn’t had experience with babies. They were readily identifiable by the…uuhhhh…not-so-friendly looks as though the mom was supposed to literally throw her baby off the plane to stop the disruption.
Now I’m not a mind-reader but I know that’s what they were thinking.
How?
Honest moment: I like peace and quiet and I was NOT praying for the ‘magic knee’ because I like the sound of a screaming baby. I was praying because my patience was being tested. I was the one thinking “Seriously!? What is going on!? Give the baby some cheerios. Every baby likes cheerios! Just do something! Put something in its mouth!” <—I know! I know! It’s obvious that I don’t have any kids. Pray for me.
But then something funny happened.
A woman seated next to me offered to walk the aisle with the baby.
*PAUSE*
It was kind of like…GRACE.
Do you want to know how to tell if someone has really experienced grace? Watch how they respond when others fail.
I’m not talking about the filtered PC response we give publicly once the dirt has settled.
I mean, what happens in your heart when others continually fail?
Do you feel compassion or frustration?
Do you see the best in people or do they become a block-head who can’t get the point?
When people fail, do you think “them” or “us”?
Do you think it’s ultimately about them Man-ing up or do you pray God will do what only he can do in them?
Do you believe people can actually be free when they experience a small victory in a big area of struggle or do you secretly assume they’ll soon fail again?
Do you see the best in people or do they become a block-head who can’t get the point?
When people fail, do you think “them” or “us”?
Do you think it’s ultimately about them Man-ing up or do you pray God will do what only he can do in them?
Do you believe people can actually be free when they experience a small victory in a big area of struggle or do you secretly assume they’ll soon fail again?
Perhaps, it’s just me but this experience hit me like a rock.
You see, the challenge is recognizing where we stand.
Just like you can’t have a baby and not feel for someone with a baby, you can’t live in an ocean of grace and have a hard time responding to others with grace and mercy.
Tell me about a time when someone has shown you grace when you failed.
