"Flying And Praying"
February 7, 2012
(Jesus said) "And blessed is the one who is not offended by Me." Matthew 11:6
"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever" (Psalm 118:29).
"I will be glad to rejoice in You, I will sing praise to Your Name, O Most High" (Psalm 9:2).
Those are just two of the cards passengers on Alaska Airlines used to receive with their meals. I say used to because no longer do passengers in coach get meals. No meals -- no cards. Even so, the passengers in first class still received some vittles and a prayer card.
Until now.
For years Alaska Airlines received far more compliments than it did complaints, concerning the prayer cards. Recently, that has changed, and the number of folks who thought it was inappropriate outweigh those who found it a wonderful practice.
Thus, no more prayer cards on Alaska Airlines.
Now there are any number of things which could be said about that bit of information. For example, I could say, "Thank you, Alaska Airlines," for having done something most airlines would never consider.
Or we could say, "Let's get organized and petition the head honchos at Alaska Airlines to reconsider their decision."
Instead, I would like to make note of a bit of culture and ask you to think about it a bit.
The reason Alaska Airlines did what it did is because somebody got vocal. Those who were offended by the Lord gave voice to their displeasure. At the same time those who liked the practice -- who thought it was a good thing -- forgot to say, "Thank you!"
Maybe they thought the airlines would just keep up the practice. Maybe they thought somebody else would say something. Maybe they just didn't think it was important enough to acknowledge the simple Scripture card. If it's any or all of those (and I'm sure it is), that's a shame.
You know most of us who were raised in a Christian household were taught to give thanks. We were taught to give thanks to the Lord and to each other. It's possible, as we've gotten older, we've forgotten our manners. If that's the case, it's time to get polite. It's time to thank the Lord and people.
Thank the Lord for the salvation His Son has won at the cost of His life. Thank the Lord for His manifold blessings. Thank each other for kindnesses shown, commitments kept.
It's not a big thing, but it's a right thing. We who have been saved by the Christ need to show our appreciation to Him and to each other. Please, give it a try.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, how sad it is that the world only knows us by our arguments, fights, disputes and embarrassing acts. May I do what I can, so it can see a Christian can be a thankful, appreciative soul. This I pray in my Savior's Name. Amen.
Copyrighted by the Int’l LLL and its Lutheran Hour Ministries; all rights reserved; used by permission.
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