You’ve been told to arrive at the airport 2 hours prior to your scheduled departure time. I mean, seriously. Why do TSA (Transportation Security Administration) agents have to be breathing down your neck as you hand over your “obviously legit” driver’s license and your passport? Seriously. As a matter of fact, they blacklight your driver’s license and passport and stare at them with their magnifying loupe as if you’ve got something to hide. Like I might be walking around with fake documents. Seriously. Oh wait, that’s only the beginning! You’ve got to take your shoes off, empty your pockets, take out your laptop, throw all of your precious belongings into a gray plastic bin, and roll it down some conveyor belt. Leading to the infamous x-ray machine! I mean, the sole purpose of this $200,000 solid steel box is to allow the TSA agents to invade your privacy. You get to walk through a metal detector that beeps if even if you’ve got a stainless steel joint replacement. TSA agents yells, “Cavity search!” And speaking of privacy violations… of course… the infamous “pat-down”. Maybe they give you "the wand". Like I seriously might have something that I’m trying to hide from the crown of me head to the stripes on my socks. Such a tedious process – awkward, uncomfortable, unnecessary.
But after you’re through ranting, step back and take a look at the big picture. Did you know, according to Fox News, that twenty-one major terrorist plots have been foiled in the US since 9/11 (THAT WE KNOW OF)? So I’ll say this. Airport security checks might be a definite inconvenience to our easy-going American way of life, but they are there for a reason! The safety precautions are in place – DON’T MESS WITH THEM!
So, you ask me, “Joe, how does airport security tie into our discussion about Christian life?” And here’s my answer for you.
God is our airport security check. He is our personal TSA agent, He is our x-ray machine, and He is our blacklight! He pats us down, He tells us to take our shoes off, He tells us to have our licenses out so that they can be examined.
Like TSA security screening, nothing gets past God. We may try to hide our sins from God, but nevertheless, our efforts are futile. When you think you’re all alone, you’re not, because God is watching. If you are His child, He is screening you every moment to foil your daily “terrorist plots”, or your sins and strongholds that you try to “sneak” past airport security. Proverbs 15:11 says, “Death and Destruction lie open before the LORD--how much more the hearts of men!”, and 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." God can see the terrorist plots hidden in our hearts that our friends, family, classmates and coworkers can’t always see. Don’t try to hide from God. He has called us to be transparent before Him!
God’s Word is our guideline for safe air travel; not an inconvenience, but rather a safety precaution. God gives us the Ten Commandments not to hassle us, but rather to say to us, “Make sure you follow these directions to keep yourself from getting hurt!” No, God’s not telling you to not steal or lie because He doesn’t want you to have any fun. Find joy in keeping God’s Laws, knowing that the brilliant policy maker, our Heavenly Father Himself, has developed His laws with the intentions of keeping us safe.
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