The day of our long awaited Portugal trip vacation had finally arrived!!! We were meeting up with the other half of our vacation foursome at the airport. We timed our arrival perfectly, seeing them outside the airport passenger drop off. We didn’t even plan that!  As we were walking into the airport together, my friend asked if I had heard about the cyber attack that had paralyzed London Heathrow airport today?  This attack was causing massive flight cancellations, delays, stranding thousands of passengers, and just so happened to be our international layover. Gulp!

We continued to the ticket counter and we were allowed to check into our flight. This was a good sign, right? Surely they wouldn’t fly us to an airport that wasn’t safe or operational, right?

With nothing left to do, we boarded the plane, trusting that 9.5 hours later, the issues would be resolved at one of the world’s busiest airports. 

We were flying toward the chaos.

As I sat powerless and captive in the airplane, I had ample hours of contemplation. Why did ‘flying toward chaos’ feel so familiar?  Perhaps it was because that is what most of life is; the CHAOS of a fallen world. Thanks Eve! Still, this felt eerily normal to me.  Most of my life trials involve a healthy dose of chaos, including the biggest trial of my life, my in-vitro and baby loss journey.

Did I fret for 9.5 hours completely cut off from the outside world flying across an ocean, with no idea what London Heathrow Airport would look like when we landed? No, it was out of my hands.

Did I fret for the 9.5 months it took for IVF journey from start and finish? Lets be real, that one was a little harder mamas!  9 hours vs. 9 months is a big difference to chill within the vortex of chaos.  Don’t I wish all life’s trials could be limited to 9-hours?

What I have learned mamas, is that each trial that comes my way is a snapshot in time; just like Polaroid photo, (if you don’t get this reference, please don’t tell me, I already feel old).

TRIALS force us to WAIT.

Patiently or not, we have to wait for our Polaroid snapshot to develop.  We have to wait as the chaos of the darkness dissipates and brings in the light of the morning mist.  Ever so slowly this mist of light evaporates before your eyes to soften the dark parts of the developing Polaroid.  Trials, just like with a Polaroid snapshot, have to break free from the darkness

Mamas, these ‘trial waits’ of life are the ultimate illustration of our faith.  How are you with the wait? When the Polaroid photo finally develops, what do you see? Has light overtaken the darkness? When your image is finally developed are you smiling? Laughing? Content? Closing your eyes? Unprepared? Distracted? Worried?  What were you doing during your wait?

We may not get to choose the outcome of our trial. But we do get to choose how we wait, and who we wait with! When chaos knocks at the door, let Jesus in and surrender the outcome to Him.

Chaos is here to stay mamas. What does your Polaroid reveal about you?

How you wait matters.