Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life. – Deuteronomy 4:9
It was only a one-letter difference, but what a difference it made! A while back, my husband was working out of town and needed me to book some flights for him. The project was going to take a while, so we also planned for him to visit home at least once. Hurriedly I booked an airline flight on the Internet and went on with my busy day. Two weeks later, he flew home for a short visit. On the day he was to fly back to work, we awoke early and I dropped him off at the airport. I had just gotten home and crawled back into bed when the phone rang. I heard the words, “You’ll never guess what you did!” I had booked him for a P.M. flight rather than an A.M. flight! He had scanned his confirmation letter as he approached the desk and lamented to the clerk that he just realized there was a problem. She realized his plight and advised him that the next flight was full but he could come back in a couple of hours and see if there might be a cancellation. I quickly went back to the airport to pick him up. When it came time to catch the next flight, we returned and then waited to find out if he could get on.
My haste and assumption caused a lot of unnecessary time and anxiety, not to mention the cost of the breakfast we bought to pass the time while waiting! We had both assumed he was all set to fly back in plenty of time to meet his appointments later that day. But that one-letter difference of a P.M. instead of an A.M. carried with it a delay of twelve hours!
How important it is in life to be aware of the details. They are even more important in our spiritual lives! Plans and actions based on spiritual assumptions can have far worse consequences than a delayed flight. If we make decisions and just assume we are in the Lord’s will, we can expect confusion and frustration to follow. We need to be sure our plans fit with God’s “schedule” by praying about decisions and seeking His will earnestly. Even choices that seem small can have a big effect on our lives, so we need to make sure every area is lined up with His will.
As for my husband’s flight plight, he was able to get on the next plane. Needless to say, next time neither of us will leave anything to chance!