Planes, Trains, And Automobiles 2


If you've ever seen the movie, "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" with Steve Martin and John Candy, you'll understand a little of how I felt once when traveling. I was in Buffalo and needed to get home. I was bumped off of my first flight and then told there are no more flights to NYC tonight. The only plane coming to the northeast was to Philadelphia so I took it.

And the journey began.

From the Philly airport there is a train that will take you downtown to catch another train north. This first train is $8.00 and cash only. That’s right. I was like, “Is it 1984? Did my plane travel back in time? Cash only?” I had no cash on me and there were no ATMs in the area. I was told I would have to walk to another terminal. Instead I walked to a taxi stand and took a cab downtown to the 30th St. Station. Somehow taxis have the technology necessary to pay with a card, but Philly airport trains aren’t there yet. From the 30th St. Station I took the SEPTA to Trenton where I switched to NJ Transit and took that train to Penn Station. At Penn I would switch to the #1 to 242nd St. where my son picked me up. While waiting at Penn at 2:00 am to my left was a young couple making out, to my right were several homeless people sleeping, and in front of me a rat the size of a football hobbled by. You gotta love NY. It wasn’t as entertaining as the young man doing ballet with no music around me in Philly while waiting, but it is pretty cool to see a rat that big. I arrived at my house at about 3:00 a.m.

As crazy as the trip was, and as interesting as some of my experiences were being on overnight trains, it got me home. That's where I wanted to be.
Spiritually it's where I want to be as well. Just as I wouldn't let anything deter me from my journey to my house, I can't let anything lead me off the path to my eternal home. You can't either.

In Hebrews we're called to,
“run with endurance the race God has set before us." Hebrews 12:1

In the end we receive a crown of life, and an eternal reward. On Thursday all I got was to sleep in my own bed and my dog woke me up at 7:00 a.m. to be walked. (In the New Jerusalem my dog will sleep until 11:00 a.m.)

Let's stay focused on the journey. When I laid down in my own bed I thought to myself, "it was worth it." Paul said, "what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal later." Romans 8:18

It's worth it!

Following the Son,

James A Williams

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