When you miss your flight

You are on a business trip when you receive a notice that your return flight has been cancelled. Immediately your hands begin to perspire, your stomach knots, your blood pressure rises and your heart beats faster. You want to get home and not stand in line to book another flight. Travel, however, isn’t the only frustration you could experience. It could be a lawsuit, a termination of your job, or the sting of rejection.

When things don’t go the way I had anticipated, I’ve learned – sometimes through experiencing trying times – to do several things. The following are what you might want to consider doing too:

First, think through your options. If you can’t cross a mountain, think how you can get around it. If you can’t get around, can you tunnel through?

Next, pray. God knows what’s best for you and can give you wisdom in things through your options.

Tell yourself not to panic. This isn’t the end of the road so keep your perspective right. When you are angry or frustrated, you don’t think clearly.

When life looks very disjointed from our vantage point, God looks beyond that and sees a pattern known only to Him. You can trust Him to take you through the valley when your progress seems blocked. That’s the only way you can say with Paul, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Philippians 4:11).