When things are out of your control or in the control of others, do you find yourself getting upset and taking it out on those around you? Do you explode if you don’t get your way? We all encounter situations we’d rather avoid, but how we navigate them makes all the difference.
I remember many years ago when I was flying back to Savannah. My flight had a tight layover of just 15 to 30 minutes in Charlotte. Unfortunately, a storm forced us to fly around the city for a while before we finally landed.
Once we arrived, we were informed that we needed to head to the ticket counter to get on the next available flight since we had missed ours. As I joined the line, I noticed a sea of frustrated passengers—all from my flight. I was probably about 20th in line, with another 20 people behind me, and many of them were also headed to Savannah.
At that moment, I knew getting on the next flight would be nearly impossible. Listening to the complaints of those in front of me, I realized the next flight was full. The poor person behind the ticket counter was handling an avalanche of negativity. I couldn’t believe how much anger was directed at her. Did she control the weather? Absolutely not!
I felt upset too, but I decided to respond differently. When it was finally my turn, I approached the counter and said to the woman behind it, “I’m really sorry you’ve been treated so poorly. I can’t imagine how difficult this must be for you, but I just want to say that you’re handling it with such grace. I’m genuinely impressed.”
She thanked me, and after issuing my new ticket, I glanced at the gate and began my trek across the airport. The gate was on the complete opposite side, so I took my time, knowing I wasn’t getting on the next flight.
About 15 minutes later, I arrived at the gate, and the woman there looked at me and asked, “Are you Chris Benton?” Surprised, I replied, “Yes, why?” She informed me that they had been waiting for me and were told to hold the flight for one last passenger. I smiled and boarded the plane.
Did I expect my compassion to yield that result? Absolutely not. If you act out of a desire for reward, then your compassion isn’t genuine. I chose to be compassionate in that moment, despite my frustration.
The moral of this story is to always choose compassion, no matter the circumstances. Sometimes, God may bless you in ways you don’t expect. In this instance, it happened immediately, and as far as I know, I was the only passenger from my original flight to make it onto that next flight, even though many others were also headed to Savannah. Favor is incredible, but it begins with compassion!
Living a God-Inspired Life,
Chris Benton