When my husband and I were offered five days at an island resort in exchange for listening to a timeshare presentation, I never imagined it would lead to an epic anniversary trip a year in the making, or that my first experience flying standby would prove such a powerful compare-and-contrast lesson in God’s unfailing, unconditional love.
Last year a friend who works for an airline heard we were celebrating a milestone anniversary. He offered us buddy passes to fly anywhere in the world with one condition: make it a worthwhile trip.
To fly to Florida, Savannah, the Alabama coast, or any other easy road trip from our Georgia home would be a waste.
When a phone survey ended with an amazing offer — six days at our choice of resorts if we’d attend a timeshare presentation — it seemed like the perfect opportunity to put those buddy passes to good use.
Months later we worked out dates and details and booked four flights, two going and two returning home, and counted down the days until our island adventure.
Flying standby is an adventure in itself. You sit at the gate for the flight you hope to take with your eyes glued to the monitor, watching to see if your name moves from the standby list to the list of those guaranteed a seat.
Your ranking on that list depends on factors including length of employment by the airline and whether you’re an actual employee or a friend of one. Someone can join the standby list at the last minute and jump ahead of you if their rank is higher, as I later learned firsthand.
Although we wouldn’t get to sit together, we made the passenger list for our first flight; however, a man was already sitting in my husband’s assigned seat when we boarded. I moved to the back of the plane not knowing if my husband was still on it, but in the moments before we turned off our cell phones, he texted that he had been given another seat. Whew!
Five hours later we reunited at last, glad to reach the halfway point of our trip together again, but as we compared notes I’m ashamed to say my attitude soured.
The man who exchanged seats with my husband in order to sit with his family was what the airline called a Two Million Miler. When you’ve flown over two million miles with an airline they treat you mighty special. In this case it was my husband who received the special treatment.
He sat in seat 1A, while I sat in 49F — the last seat on the last row in the very back of the plane.
I was offered a small drink and two tiny bags of peanuts, but my husband ate a full course meal: salad, calzone, fresh fruit, and dessert. While I watched a small monitor on the back of the seat ahead of me, which locked up and needed to be reset, my husband had a large wall-mounted screen (he was just behind the cockpit) for his viewing pleasure. At the end of the flight my knees and legs were achy from being cramped, but he’d had plenty of room to stretch his legs.
Did I congratulate my husband on his good fortune in seat assignments? No, I did not. I grumbled and stewed over the disparity in our flight conditions. Why him and not me?
But as he continued to revel in the story of his trip — and believe me, he had photos to document every detail of his special-but-undeserved treatment — I had to smile and laugh along with him. Neither of us will be treated so well on a flight again ever.
I couldn’t help but use our experience to contrast how the world views us compared to how we’re seen through God’s eyes.
The world rewards us on our own merit: years of employment, dollars earned, miles flown. But salvation isn’t accomplished through our own works, but by the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
We could never earn His love or favor; none deserve it, but He grants it still.
As easy as it was to catch that first flight, we didn’t make the final cut on nine others by the time we returned home. Others sometimes joined the waiting list at the last-minute, outranking us and moving us further down the line.
The Bible tells us that God is no respecter of persons (see Acts 10:34-35).
His mercies extend to us all: “. . . He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:45)
What a blessing to be known by a steadfast and faithful God, who loves us unconditionally, not because our own merit but for the extraordinary sacrifice of His son!
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Bev @ Walking Well With God says
Dawn,
As I read your story and the luxury treatment your husband received…inwardly something said, “Hey, that’s not fair.” As my husband would say,” Fair is where you go to get cotton candy.” LOL. What a poignant reminder that this life is not fair…it’s merit and performance based. It’s based more on what you look like on the outside than what your heart looks like on the inside. So thankful I serve a God who doesn’t “rank” me on a giant list somewhere. When I accepted Christ as my Savior, I was immediately veiled in His blood through which God sees me as pure and perfect and NOTHING will alter that view of me. That’s a love that’s hard to get my head around sometimes. To use your analogy, so thankful I’m flying on God Airlines where all seats are first class…loved this post!
Have a blessed Advent season, Dawn,
Bev
Dawn Camp says
Morning, Bev! I shouldn’t want what’s fair because I might not like it too much, but I’m going to have to use “Fair is where you go to get cotton candy,” on my kids. 🙂 I’m afraid I didn’t handle the disparity in our treatment too well at first. It wasn’t my best wife moment.
Steve says
Dawn and Bev,
I ” stumbled across” this post via a Facebook “Remember This Day” Reminder from a Blog of yours from 6 years ago today on “Having a Bad Day,” which I am. Well, the link to the article was broken. So I wound up on your website and your blog from today. It was a God-send. God is so faithful and sovereign and gracious! Satan has been fulfilling his role with me as the Accuser of the Brethren. But Romans 8:33-34 declares Jesus is my great Defense Attorney. And He has proven Himself as the Comforter of my soul as He always does! Praise be to God!
Bev @ Walking Well With God says
Steve,
I love how God gives us just what we need at just the right time…so glad you stumbled here. May today be a brighter, better day for you…
Advent blessings,
Bev
Michele Morin says
Thanks for these reflections of merit. I think that we, as North Americans, are accustomed to “first-class” treatment, and have come to expect it. It’s good to be reminded that God sees the whole world as “first class.” Trusting for grace to align my vision with His.
Dawn Camp says
Michele, we are totally accustomed to it! I’ve caught myself standing in front of a public sink waiting for the water to run when I needed to turn that knob myself. Yes, He treats us as first class!
Corena Hall says
Even as Christians sadly I see discrepancy in how we treat each other and yet when Jesus told us to love one another He left no qualification, no condition. He loved us all gave His very life for us all no qualification, no condition.Now if only we would stop and live the way He did…as the song says ” what a wonderful world this would be !”
Dawn Camp says
Corena, you are so right. Why is this so hard for us?
Beth Williams says
Dawn,
Life is not fair. That was my motto for years. People judge on looks, talent, etc. God judges on grace. We just have to accept His unconditional love, believe in Him-His birth, death and resurrection. I want to fly on God airlines-no standby just welcome home Good and faithful servant.
‘We could never earn His love or favor; none deserve it, but He grants it still.’ I have often wondered how and why God would love someone like me. I mess up all the time and don’t always act Christ like. Yet He loves me still no matter what! I just need to confess my sins, ask for forgiveness and start afresh.
Blessings 🙂
Dawn Camp says
Beth, this is the beauty of grace: we don’t deserve it—it is unconditional!
Tyra says
Dawn,
A profound truth you’ve shared here. The first few years of my Christian walk had me trying to check all the boxes to earn His love. Praise Him for revelation! I pray through this post someone comes to KNOW & RECEIVE the gift of agape love.
Dawn Camp says
Tyra, trying to check those boxes is exhausting, isn’t it? Thankful for the revelation of His grace.
Kristi says
Thank you for sharing this. Such a great reminder to be thankful for God’s unmerited love and forgiveness.
Rebecca L Jones says
Maybe God knew your husband needed it more than you that day, that’s the way I try to look at things. Perspective is important. Jesus perceived things in the Word. I was raised in Atlanta, and now I live to the south of it near Jackson.
Dawn Camp says
Rebecca, yes I’m sure he did need it more. My attitude just needed a major adjustment. It certainly wasn’t his fault that he got preferential treatment! 😉 It sounds like you understand that the Atlanta airport is always an adventure!
Kathy Cheek says
Jesus has a way of causing us all to look at things through His perspective and not the world’s when He said the first shall be last and the last shall be first…
Diane Bailey says
Thank you for this reminder that we are loved.
So where exactly did you get to go? Hope you had a blast.
Dawn Camp says
Diane, we went to Hawaii! It was amazing and surreal.
Diane Bailey says
We went there for our honeymoon. Loved it.
Jas says
Hi what a great post, today I learned I did not receive a scholarship which was and most are awarded on academic merit to do a Masters in peace and conflict studies. My job was made full time I am currently part time and I chose not to apply for my job as it is hard enough working 3/4 time with 3 kids. So I was looking outside the box at doing this masters feeling like maybe I was called to do it by God, now I not so sure, do I continue and apply to do the course full time? Is this where God wants me to go to learn skills to help people or is it purely what I want? I don’t know, but your post reminded me of Gods love for me not because of merits awarded by the world but because of his son’s sacrifice. I am still not sure what to do but I know He is right there with me.
Dawn Camp says
Jas, I hope you find the answers to your questions and thankful you were reminded that God loves you regardless of your merit.
Joanne says
I can totally relate to the first few minutes of annoyance you felt, I don’t know if I would have been so gracious so quickly, without milking it for my benefit e.g a spa day just for myself, haha. I love the lessons you learned through it, and how true and what a great reminder that, God is no respecter of persons, and He can choose to bless absolutely anybody.
Dawn Camp says
I must have been slow that day because I didn’t think to milk it. 😉 We ended up sitting side-by-side on our three remaining flights. What a blessing!
Rosanna says
I’m so glad that we serve an amazing God who doesn’t look at any of us differently. So often, I find myself doubting myself, but quickly God reminds that “he is no respecter of persons.” He loves all of us equally. How amazing!