There’s Work to DO!

My belief

I had a pretty amazing trip this last week. I always pray that God will use me in some way, and it often amazes me when he does. I usually have most of my focus on trying to find ways to share my faith in Jesus with members of my crew each trip, but this time God snuck up behind me with a job to do.

I felt that this trip was going to be a bit of a loss for talking about my faith. I had a couple different First Officers and a particularly nasty flight attendant. The 1st First Officer I flew with was a new guy that was not interested in matters of faith. He humored my attempts at discussion a bit, but the conversations all dead ended quickly. My 2nd First Officer was a very good looking young guy who was more interested in himself, partying and girls than anything else. My Flight Attendant was for lack of a better term a DIVA. I had no chance to talk about anything with her much less faith. So, I sort of felt like this trip was just going to be one of those where I do my job and go home. Boy was I wrong!

We were flying a flight from Florida to New York on one day of this trip and we took an extended delay. NYC was a mess as usual and they scheduled us a departure time several hours after our original time.  This flight was our first flight of the day and my Flight attendant was a lesbian who had brought her wife with her. I did not think much of it because homosexuality is common in the airline industry.  My crew and I were relaxing on the plane without any passengers during the delay. I was sitting on the flight deck updating some of my manuals when I realized my FA’s wife was onboard and had wondered up to the flight deck. She was amazed by all the lights and buttons on the flight deck of a Jetliner and I invited her up to take a look. We had a pleasant conversation about airplanes and then she asked me what I was doing for Mothers Day. I told her some of the plans I had made with my family and then I asked her the same question in return. She told me that she was spending all of Mothers Day at CHURCH. I was instantly surprised!!! I told her that was cool and very interesting. She could see my surprise and said, “it is because I am gay right.” I told her that I was a little surprised since most of the gay people I know do not attend church or go to an unusual version of the Christian faith. At that point she just started opening up and pouring out her life to me. She explained how she knew her homosexuality was wrong and God does not approve and how she is in a constant struggle between the two.

WOW!!! God had a job for me to do and He snuck it right up behind me. I told her that God loves her. That God hates her sin, but loves her. I told her that the struggle she has is the Holy Spirit working in her life to free her from her sin. To draw her close to Jesus and help her to let go of her destructive nature. I shared with her some of my own sin that God has helped me to overcome and told her that I would pray for her. We had a long and wonderful conversation and I did not get a single one of my manuals updated. At the end of our chat I could see something in her eyes. The start of her conviction to turn to the Lord. She had an appreciation for our time together and I think she had a bit more clarity of where she was and why she had such a struggle in her heart. I have had the chance to share Christ with a few gay people in the past and there has always been a hardness that was impossible to penetrate. This is the first time I had ever seen the Holy Spirit actively pulling someone away from the grip of homosexuality! WOW!!! what a mighty God we serve.

Scripture

Eph 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;

Application for Life

This was a pleasant reminder for me that God has work for me to do all of the time. Even when I don’t think there is something to do, I must remember that God is in control. He has tasks lined up well in advance that I have no idea about. I feel very blessed that I was given the privilege to share my faith in Jesus with this woman and very encouraged that God has overcome sin! He can break the grip of sin in anyone’s life who will seek His face. Thank you Jesus for the job you have given me to do.