Twelve years ago my oldest son, who was eleven at the time, went to Peru on a missions trip. He went with a group of 5th and 6th graders from our church and a LOT of adult supervision. My wife and I were NOT among the adults. However, there were very good friends in the group. People we trusted with our eleven year old. Hey...they were going OUT of the country!!
My wife and I stood at the departure gate at Columbus International Airport. We watched our firstborn walk down the long corridor. We watched the 747 that would carry him 3591 miles begin the process for departure. We were standing at the gate, watching our son take his first plane ride. Not just any plane ride, but one out of the country.
This is somewhat fresh in my mind because earlier this year I took a missions trip to Kenya. My wife and youngest son dropped me off at the terminal door of the Pittsburgh Airport. I then made my way through two layers of security to my departure gate. I sat for and hour and a half (because you have to be there 2-3 hours early) by myself. I texted my wife. Quite a contrast to twelve years earlier when we talked with our son until he boarded the plane.
Why the difference in twelve years? The date of change was 9/11/2001. On 9/11, our lives were forever changed. We do not view the world with the same childlikeness we did on 9/10. Family going to the boarding gates in airports to see their loved ones off became a thing of the past. It is a distant memory like 8-track tapes and the test pattern on TV.
One thing for certain is that life brings change. Some good, some bad. We cannot prevent change. It is part of the existence of our world. But our hope is not in this life. Our hope is in an unchanging God. He is an everlasting rock, unchangeable, immovable.
No matter what change life brings, we can trust in the Lord forever. He NEVER changes.
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. Isaiah 26:4
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