Airport chairs. In the transit area.
Exhaustion weighs heavy in this middle place. This confined space.
And after the 17-hour flight across the Pacific, we mark time. Until boarding begins. For our next destination.
No longer living in the former place. Not yet setting foot in the new space. Caught in between.
Transit.
Timezones
Goodbyes still fresh. Hellos unknown. We’re standing midway.
And grief drifts along. Submerged under the flow of anticipation. Bobbing up every now and then.
We try sitting this way and that. Uncomfortable. Propping our feet up. On overstuffed carryons.
Breathe. Look for the odd snack tucked in a side pocket.
Timezones lay jumbled in our brains. Upside down. Night is morning and morning, night.
Glass walls
We walk around. Pace. In wakeful weariness.
The airplanes land. And take off. We watch through glass walls. See passengers glide by on travelators. Arriving from who knows where.
Neck pillows, backpacks, handbags. Along for the ride.
The sleep-deprived stare vacantly. Others talk nonstop in bursts of adrenaline.
We stay in transit.
In transit
Life. We complete one season. And head into the next.
But suddenly, there we are. In transit. Sitting on uncomfortable chairs. While others move in and out.
Sorting through pieces left behind, we wonder. Did we finish well? Were there too many loose ends?
It’s time to walk into something new. Almost. Are we ready?
Waiting
So we look through the glass walls. Close our eyes. Float in this tired state.
Waiting. At times, hardly thinking.
I wonder if our bags will make it.
Abiding
In this season of COVID19, many fellow travelers are waiting. Some in transit on this side of the ocean. Others across borders. Across the sea.
Watching for countries and airports to open again.
Keep abiding in Christ, friends. Daily. Through prayer and the Word. Keep walking in the Spirit.
He knows the way in transit. And beyond.
“Yes, Lord, walking in the way of Your laws,
we wait for you;
Your name and renown
are the desire of our hearts.”
Isaiah 26:8 NIV
What about you?
Have you ever waited in transit? Do you struggle with transition? How has the Lord helped you walk and wait through those seasons?
Related posts
Temporary nest – Walking, we wait – Strong roots and movable tents – Habit – The way of life – Where is home? – Living in exile – Wells along the way – Tents and altars – Waiting for the Lord –
10 replies on “Transit”
Transitions are always hard for me. Some more than others. Moving into something new and leaving bits and pieces behind. This time of quarantine has been another sort of waiting…
Thanks for sharing, sister. These quarantines and lockdowns around the world are certainly a time of waiting. And change. Praying for you.
Suz!! So real so true!! Thank you!! So thankful for the gift He has given you and your discipline of Abiding that we get to reap from. Thank you Lord!,
You know well those places of transit, friend. Grateful for you!
So well written Susan! Puts one right back in that transit, exhaustive state. But JOY comes at the end of our flight when we join the Lord! Love to your folks.
Thank you, Carolyn. Yes, JOY! I’m with my folks this week 😊
On my first solo international flight, I set my watch for the flight destination – a few hours into the long journey, I realized that the destination of that flight was not my final spot and I didn’t know if there was a time difference. Mid-air crisis of faith began! What have I done? Everything I own is in the cargo hold of this plane and I don’t even know what time it is! No turning back, so I prayed and journaled, and remembered how God had brought me that far. Lockdown has kinda been the same – prayers, reading, writing, remembering.
“Mid-air crisis of faith.” So many of us can relate to this. Thank you for sharing your story and those practical steps for walking through these “time changes” with Him. Grace!
We are EXACTLY right here! Over two decades of overseas ministry ended, extended furlough (by COVID-19), now headed to a different culture to minister (2 weeks left in the States). Uncertain about what lies ahead, even in our destination’s airport, but certain in our God.
Grace to you and your family as you move through this transition, Lori! Rejoicing with you in the faithfulness of our God. He sees you, knows what each of you are walking through. And He goes before you into this new place. Praying for you today, and holding on to the confession of our hope!