Waiting for a Plane

At a gate in the airport, waiting to board a plane, a young man with a two-year old child, facing the window.  He is bent over his cell phone, texting; she is looking around in panic, with tears in her eyes.  "Mommee, Daddeee!" she calls out several times, her voice rising each time.  Suddenly, he turns to her and yells with vehemence:  "YOUR MOTHER IS NOT HERE!"  "Mommee gone?" she asks, on the verge of tears again.  "YOUR MOTHER NEVER WAS HERE!" he yells again, clearly more angry at the mother than at the child. "WE ARE GOING TO ATLANTA TO GET HER!"    He went back to his texting as the child leaned into him for comfort.  Turning to her again, he said more quietly, "Do you want a spanking?"  Leaning back in her chair, she shook her head.  "Then sit down and be quiet," he said. 

This was a man at the end of his rope; the entire community of listeners was frozen in place, uncertain of what might happen next.  Suddenly, a young woman slipped up to the child's seat and began whispering to the little girl.  Then man turned around surprised, but did not say anything as the child nodded her head and slipped past him to sit on the floor with the young lady, who had with her a yellow legal pad and some colored markers.  The two of them began to draw pictures.  Then another lady joined them on the floor, drawing and engaging the child with stories and pictures. 

At first the man did not turn around, but then he got up and took a seat facing the two women.  He watched them with a sort of wonder in his face, and bit by bit he began to relax and even to smile.  Everyone in the area relaxed also as the two women got the child up and hopping like a bunny.  A few people chuckled and drew the father into conversation: "I wish I had that energy!"  "If you could bottle and sell that, you'd be rich!"  The entire atmosphere at the gate had changed in just a few moments because of the decisive action of one young woman.  A potentially bad situation was defused by her loving kindness to a stranger.  Before getting on the plane, the two women joined hands with the father and child and bowed their heads in prayer for the rest of the journey. 

Later, I was reminded of several Scriptures:  The Son of Man did not come into the world to condemn the world, but to seek and to save what was lost.

Whoever welcomes one of these little ones welcomes Me.

The young "savior" in this situation wasted no time in judging and condemning the father for his anger at the child; she immediately entered the situation, risking his anger and rejection of her offer of kindness.  She became the conduit of God's love to both father and child, and her decision brought peace and joy to all who were present. 

A great lesson in what one person can do if we are willing to let go of fear and condemnation!