Be Strong and Courageous

John Vandervelde - Program Director

Over the weekend I traveled to Colorado to do some skiing; I had a great time.  I spent a lot of time in airports and in airplanes as I traveled from Wausau, WI to Gunnison, CO.  I don't really enjoy flying anymore, but I do enjoy spending time "people watching" and interacting with folks from all over the world.  Airports are a great place to see people being "real people" as they try to control their 2-year-old child, locate their luggage, find something to eat, and get to a restroom all at the same time.  There were several things I observed over these past few days that made me sad and frustrated, and a few things that made me smile and feel encouraged.

On my flight from Chicago to Wausau yesterday, I had an experience that included both of those scenarios: frustration and encouragement.  As we taxied from the gate to the runaway for take-off it became clear to all 20 passengers on the small plane that there was young man, maybe 23 years old, sitting in row 8 who had likely had a little too much to drink.  He was speaking very loudly and in incredibly foul language to all the people around him.  Literally every other word was an expletive and it seemed like his favorite one began with the letter "F."  It was really sad to hear him speak so vulgarly and talk so inappropriately about women, his failing marriage, his hatred of people not like him, etc.  It was also frustrating to hear the passengers around him laughing and egging him on.  

I got that uneasiness in my stomach telling me that I should probably stand up and say something to this young man before he embarrassed himself any further or offended any more people.  I can remember my dad doing the same thing from time to time when we were children.  He would kindly ask someone to refrain from using "that kind of language" around his family.  As I sat there building up the courage to confront the guy, who was not only drunk but quite a bit bigger than me, I was grateful that my three children and my wife were not with me.  Especially my two boys, 6 and 4, who would have heard every word and been curious about what was happening.

The plane came to a stop on the tarmac and entered the line of planes waiting to take off.  The pilot got on the intercom and told us that we were number 6 in line and should be leaving shortly.  I took a deep breath and had just reached for my seat belt to unbuckle it and stand up to say something when I heard someone speak up.  I had noticed that the guy sitting in the row across from me was not very happy with this drunk young man.  Every time he heard a cuss word he sort of cringed and shook his head.  He was sitting next to his son who was about 13 years old.  This father stood up and confronted the intoxicated man in a tone that was stern but not angry, confident yet compassionate.  He let him know that he did not appreciate the language being used and said, "For the sake of the women and children on the plane, including my own son, could you please refrain from speaking this way?"   The entire plane was silent and all eyes were on the confrontation--even the flight attendant sat anxiously waiting for a response.  The young man responded with a quick apology and said he'd keep himself quiet.  Those egging the guy on looked down in shame.

As the man sat down I thanked him for saying something and encouraged him that it was the right thing to do.  Many others also expressed their gratitude.  I was left feeling encouraged by this man's courage to confront a person and a situation that was wrong.  He didn't just sit by and let this wrong-doing continue. It was awkward and it was uncomfortable, but it was necessary.  It was the right thing to do.

As I flew home I thought about my own life and the times when I need to confront someone or something.  Those times when I need to stand up and say something or do something.  I look at the wrongdoing, injustice, and sin I see and sometimes I let those moments pass thinking "it's not my place to say something" or "I don't have the time to deal with that" or worse yet, I just sit idly by and think and do nothing.

As Christians I think God is calling us to, in some way, act like this father on the plane.  Maybe we wouldn't have said it exactly the way he did to this man, but the lesson learned is a good one.   I think we are supposed to speak out against wrongdoing and injustice in our world.  With confidence, grace and love, as agents of the Kingdom of God, we need to courageously bring righteousness, peacefulness, reconciliation, and healing to the wrong that exists in our world.  I'm talking about those things not only on a grand-scale like AIDS, poverty, and slavery but also the small things that we see, feel, and experience everyday.

Today, let's be the people the Apostle Paul writes about:

1 Corinthians 16:13-14:  "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love."

2 Timothy 1:7: "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline."