Stranded

With ash and smoke still billowing into the skies from the volcano in Iceland, we empathize with the tens of thousands of travelers stranded in airports and other venues on each side of the Atlantic. It would be tough on anyone, but families with young children must surely be affected the most. I can't imagine how difficult that would be.

I've been stranded in airports overnight a few times due to weather or mechanical problems of an airplane. It's not fun. One thing I've noticed about the news reports from this unprecedented delay, though, is that many of the folks seem to be taking it all in stride, making the best of it. No doubt there are plenty of frayed nerves to go around, and probably incidents that haven't been pretty. But these haven't reached the news services. Rather, people appear to be taking short side trips and otherwise making the most of the time. It's a credit, really, to the human spirit.

I suppose we can be stranded in other ways, too. We can be immobilized by dread, stuck in the past, all alone in depression. It's possible, also, to be spiritually stranded, and thus unable to sense the Presence of God, or to be aware of movement toward a purpose in life. A person might have the feeling of "going nowhere" spiritually. Platitudes and cheer-leading of well-intentioned friends or relatives may not seem to help. But there is genuine help for that sense of being spiritually adrift. It's not a quick-fix, not instant gratification. It's the beginning of a relationship with Christ. Interested in knowing more? Let me know in a comment.