Happy Easter to all my readers. I’ve read several times on Threads today “He is risen.” We said it in my church service today. What does that really mean in my day-to-day life, like traveling home to Panama from Albuquerque?
Being A Christian
I am a Christian and not reluctant to say it, but today it has such negative connotations. I’m a Christian who celebrates my God. I adhere to all of the Scriptures and know that because Jesus died for my sins and rose again, I am free of any sins of my past. My first mother-in-law told me back in 1973 that when God looks at me, He sees perfection because He looks through Jesus, if I have accepted Him. And I did back in the quaint Branson Community Church during Vacation Bible School when I was seven or eight!
After my divorce, I went crazy. I justified my actions because I had married young and felt I had the right to “sow my wild oats.” During this time of drinking and acting out, I piled up sin after sin. Today I know I am forgiven for it all.
My Travel Day Began at 6:00 AM
You may wonder how a travel day connects to Easter and my Risen Lord. It does! On March 31, 2026, I arrived at the Albuquerque airport at 6:00 AM for my 8:00 AM flight to Houston. The United agent told me it was delayed by two hours because they needed a part that was being flown in from Denver. She did something unusual—she offered me a wheelchair. Yes, I’m 72 years old. I have an injured leg, so I can’t walk distances—how did she know I needed one The Houston airport is massive and with the delay would the walk to the next gate or concourse be too long? My Lord guided her to help me with this life-saving gesture!
Immediately I called my husband, Lin, and he suggested I call United and see if they could delay the Panama City flight in Houston. So, I did, and they said air traffic control would have to do that. They couldn’t, so that didn’t work.
At this point, I had looked on the United app and it suggested a convoluted route through Newark, New Jersey arriving in Panama City at 4:03 AM. I faltered—this 72-year-old lady couldn’t imagine staying up twenty-six or twenty-seven hours. It also offered I spend the night in Albuquerque and go out the next day—the problem for me: I had a flight to David from Panama City at 8:00 AM on April 1, so that wouldn’t work.
At First, I Wrestled with Her Offer
The delay extended to three hours, and there was no way I’d make the connections in Houston to my Panama City flight. So, the attendant at the gate, Patricia, went above and beyond her duties to help me, but originally, I didn’t like her offer—Houston to Newark, New Jersey then Newark to Panama City, arriving at 4:03 AM! She suggested we wait to see if the crew and pilot would arrive early and maybe we would get off in time. What a Godsend she was!
They didn’t, so I took Patricia up on her itinerary. I’m glad I worked with her, because she arranged different flights than the United app had suggested.
When I arrived in Houston, there was a wheelchair waiting at the gate for me, so she wheeled me to my next gate which was quite a walk for sure. I had enough time to eat a midday meal because I wasn’t sure when I would get to eat again.
Flying to Newark!
My whole attitude changed somehow when I talked to my husband. He helped me reframe this experience. I could do it! In the end, I would do it! I laughed deeply—flying all the way across the United States to Newark to go to Panama City, Panama. How absurd!
Once again, a person met me at the plane with a wheelchair. Thank God, because I arrived right when they were loading my next flight.
Because the plane wasn’t crowded, we had an empty seat between us and I stretched out my bad leg and slept some.
I arrived in Panama City before 4:00 AM. Once again, someone met me at the plane and wheeled me to baggage claim with one carry-on suitcase underneath and one between my legs. Then he retrieved my two large suitcases. Then he got me through customs quickly. I told him I had a flight to David, so up the elevator he took me and I landed right at the Copa Airlines agent to check in.
My Lord’s presence permeates this whole experience with the wheelchair, the helpful agents and the amazing people who man the wheelchairs in our airports.
Happy Easter
So here we are at Easter. I celebrated with my church in Albuquerque, New Mexico via Facebook Live. I sang the familiar songs but felt “He is Risen” so deeply this year. There is no way I could have maneuvered that travel day without His hand on every leg of it. That’s the way my God works.
But over the years, I realized I had to be aware of His hand on the specifics of my life. For years, I walked through life, not seeing it. Today He’s everywhere!
Finally,
so yes, there’s a variety of Christian experiences out there. I had to share this one on this Holy Day! Many times during my day, I see my Lord’s hand on my life in subtle ways—I call them “God Things.” How about you?
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