I’ve flown a lot with little kids since my extended family lives in a different state than I do.
One particular time, I was flying with my daughter, who wasn’t even two years old yet.
It was a late-night flight.
That then got delayed a few times.
The flight experience was… brutal. To say the least.
She freaked out during the safety demonstration and wouldn’t calm down.
She kept kicking the seat in front of us.
She got bored with every distraction I had packed in our bag.
I kept praying that she would calm down.
Or that she would just fall asleep.
But she did neither of those things.
I felt very alone.
As the flight ended, the person sitting directly in front of us (whose seat I kept trying to protect from my daughter’s crazy kicking) turned around and said:
“She did so well for such a little person! And you did an amazing job with her.”
I almost burst into tears.
And the Spirit poured comfort into my heart.
My mind suddenly completely changed perspectives.
I had wanted the hard time on the plane to stop.
That’s what I prayed for.
And yet, as trivial of a situation as this may have been, Christ was there.
He had been strengthening me to endure and learn from the experience.
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13)
I just couldn’t see this until a stranger pointed it out to me, and the Spirit quietly confirmed it.
Christ often doesn’t take away the tough time, no matter how big or small it is.
Probably because He’s really good at strengthening us to endure, learn, and find moments of peace in the meantime.
But it’s often our perspectives that need to change in order to see this truth.
If you are doing your reasonable best to live your covenants…
Then Christ is likely strengthening you right now to endure.
Christ strengthens me.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
