Waiting in airports.
I spent some time in an airport terminal last week while I waited for my sister’s plane to land.
She was coming back from a long trip and I was excited to greet her. So I kept watching arrivals to make sure I didn’t miss her first appearance.
But in between glances down the long arrival hallway, I found myself looking around the rest of the terminal. Airports are excellent places to people-watch. And as I watched, I noticed something.
Everyone in the airport was waiting. And not even waiting to get on a plane—those people were probably off somewhere in departures trying to put their shoes and belts back on. The people around me were there for the same reason I was. They were there waiting for someone.
The tiny boy with a sign bigger than him saying “welcome home,” the mom straining her eyes for the first glimpse of her daughter, the grandma thrilled to finally be passing her infant guest back to his well-rested parents. They were all waiting and watching.
Every few minutes a new plane would land and reunions would ensue. Loud, excited greetings with shrieks of delight (the little boy with the sign), calmer greetings with sedate hugs (the mom looking for her daughter). I couldn’t help but smile as I continued to watch the gate.
A phrase from a song I recently discovered started winding through my head…
“Does our God intend to dwell again with us? He does.”
As I sat there watching for my sister, I was reminded of Someone Else I’m watching for. Someone Else who has promised to return, though we do not know when, and who intends to make His dwelling again with those whom He loves.
It gets a little tedious sometimes, sitting in the airport in those hard chairs waiting for delayed planes and slow flights. But we don’t grow weary or leave. Because we know the planes are coming and we must be there for the welcoming.
And so we wait for Jesus. The welcoming will be worth the waiting.
“Does our God intend to dwell again with us? He does.”