Well, we didn’t exactly miss the boat, but we sure came close to missing the plane.  

  I don’t think Oksana or I will ever forget that feeling.  We were on our way home after an exciting trip to the States to get some medical tests done for Oksana, visit supporting churches, and grab some Bible college block sessions.  The week and a half trip had gone so well and were excited about getting home to Ukraine.  

  But our flight from Cleveland to New York had been held on the runway for a lot longer than expected.  By the time we got the JFK Airport, we had to rush through the terminals to get to our overseas flight.

  When we reached the check-in counter, the attendants were shaking their heads.  “Sorry.  We’ve already closed the registration for this flight.  The books are closed.  We can’t let you on.”

  We stared at them in shocked disbelief.

  “What do we do then?”

  They shrugged.  “The next flight goes out in a few days.  You’ll have to wait for that one.”  

  We blinked.  We gulped.  And then we prayed.  Out loud.  Together.  

  Being stranded in New York city for several days didn’t exactly sound like our idea of  a great time - especially when we were only a few hours away from being back with our children.  

  After a few minutes, one of the attendants put down a phone and reached for our passports.  “They’re going to let us register you - but you’d better run to the gate if you want to make it!”  

  You’d better believe that we ran!  And we were the last ones on board!

  It was a Ukrainian airline, and the Ukrainians that were on board were already getting settled for the long ride in Russian style - passing around bottles of vodka and getting rowdy.  But we didn’t care!  We eased into our seats amidst the din and commotion and thanked the Lord together for the blessing of making it onto this flight.  

  But I’ll never forget that terrible, sinking feeling of realizing that we had missed our flight.  It makes me think with sadness and pity of so many around us that run the risk of missing the most important appointment of all.  If hearing an airline attendant tell me that it’s too late can make my stomach sink, I can’t even imagine the horror of hearing Almighty God announce the same.  

  C. S. Lewis one wrote that there are two types of people:  those who say to God, “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God will say, “Thy will be done.”  The inevitable result of living a life without Christ as Lord and Savior is to finally one day reap the consequence.  If you didn’t want God here on this earth, He certainly won’t force you to spend eternity with Him.  

  But that’s one flight that we don’t want to miss.  

  And how wonderful to know that the “gate” is still open!  God, in love, continues to reach out to fallen men and women and offer a saving relationship with Himself through faith in the atonement of Christ.  

  Let us search our own hearts to make sure that we’ve made it “on board,” and then let us labor to help others do the same by bringing them the good news of the gospel.