Before the deaths of Mom and Dad, I flew into St. Louis from Houston at least four times per year, always on Southwest Airlines. You can see the frailties of the human race while standing in a security line at the airport! The following is from November 26, 2006.
I flew back to Houston Friday from St. Louis. Imagining Lambert Airport would be packed, I had my dad get me there two hours early. There was no need. I wouldn't say the airport was empty but it certainly was not running near full capacity. It only took about two minutes to check my bags in and get my boarding pass. There was a couple ahead of me as I went through the security line. Suddenly, I heard the man in front utter a profanity. Then, for emphasis I guess, he repeated. I couldn't hear what the wife/girlfriend said to him but his reply was, "Because I'm an idiot!!" He stormed out of the line with the lady right behind. The problem? As he got close to the desk where you show your boarding pass and picture ID, he reached into his front jeans pocket.....and found the knife he forgot to remove. I really think he was in a dilemma. He could not pull it out of his pocket; there might have been guns drawn by the nearby security. His check-on bags had already been removed to wherever they go before they are thrown on the plane. I would guess they had checked in the maximum number of bags so I am not sure he had any real options except get rid of the knife. I never saw the two again.
The new F.A.A. regulations have reduced what you can take onto a plane in your carry-on bags. There was advertising for the 3-1-1 rules throughout the airport. Liquids, gels, and aerosols must be in containers no larger than three ounces. They have to be packed in one clear plastic bag that cannot exceed one quart in volume. I would guess the aforementioned couple was careful to comply with the new policy so as not to be detained as they went through the screening process. However careful the gentleman might have been to adhere to the guidelines on the smallest items, he made a huge mistake. He obeyed the little rules but he inadvertently violated the biggest one- NO WEAPONS! Jesus often had disputes with the religious leaders of his day. In one of these run-ins, he accused them of tithing everything they grew in their garden, even very small herbs, while they completely ignored more important issues: mercy, justice, faithfulness, the love of God. The Savior concluded his point by stating, "You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former." (Matthew 23:23) We can't pick and choose what we will and will not obey. Jesus does not say don't do the little things but he emphasizes we must do the more important obligations. It's a daily contest to keep things in perspective, one that I routinely find myself failing. But I do feel good about one thing: I didn't walk into the airport with a knife in my pocket! Once, I was interrupted in the same security line in that same airport because I was trying to board with..... a brand new iron from Best Buy. I learned my lesson. On Friday, I just put everything in my suitcase. It's the only way to fly.
Applicable quote of the day:
"The American people must be willing to give up a degree of personal privacy in exchange for safety and security."
Louis Freeh
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
http://www.hawleybooks.com/
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
I flew back to Houston Friday from St. Louis. Imagining Lambert Airport would be packed, I had my dad get me there two hours early. There was no need. I wouldn't say the airport was empty but it certainly was not running near full capacity. It only took about two minutes to check my bags in and get my boarding pass. There was a couple ahead of me as I went through the security line. Suddenly, I heard the man in front utter a profanity. Then, for emphasis I guess, he repeated. I couldn't hear what the wife/girlfriend said to him but his reply was, "Because I'm an idiot!!" He stormed out of the line with the lady right behind. The problem? As he got close to the desk where you show your boarding pass and picture ID, he reached into his front jeans pocket.....and found the knife he forgot to remove. I really think he was in a dilemma. He could not pull it out of his pocket; there might have been guns drawn by the nearby security. His check-on bags had already been removed to wherever they go before they are thrown on the plane. I would guess they had checked in the maximum number of bags so I am not sure he had any real options except get rid of the knife. I never saw the two again.
The new F.A.A. regulations have reduced what you can take onto a plane in your carry-on bags. There was advertising for the 3-1-1 rules throughout the airport. Liquids, gels, and aerosols must be in containers no larger than three ounces. They have to be packed in one clear plastic bag that cannot exceed one quart in volume. I would guess the aforementioned couple was careful to comply with the new policy so as not to be detained as they went through the screening process. However careful the gentleman might have been to adhere to the guidelines on the smallest items, he made a huge mistake. He obeyed the little rules but he inadvertently violated the biggest one- NO WEAPONS! Jesus often had disputes with the religious leaders of his day. In one of these run-ins, he accused them of tithing everything they grew in their garden, even very small herbs, while they completely ignored more important issues: mercy, justice, faithfulness, the love of God. The Savior concluded his point by stating, "You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former." (Matthew 23:23) We can't pick and choose what we will and will not obey. Jesus does not say don't do the little things but he emphasizes we must do the more important obligations. It's a daily contest to keep things in perspective, one that I routinely find myself failing. But I do feel good about one thing: I didn't walk into the airport with a knife in my pocket! Once, I was interrupted in the same security line in that same airport because I was trying to board with..... a brand new iron from Best Buy. I learned my lesson. On Friday, I just put everything in my suitcase. It's the only way to fly.
Applicable quote of the day:
"The American people must be willing to give up a degree of personal privacy in exchange for safety and security."
Louis Freeh
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
http://www.hawleybooks.com/
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
1 comment:
Steve,
Greg showed me your blog this weekend. I have read several of your entries this evening and each one is a delight. You know I know talent when I read it. You have another book here. Just collect the blogs and send them along with a copy of your first epistle to a few sensible publishers. If that doesn't work, we'll crank up our own publishing house again!
In the meantime, I'll keep reading what you write.
Carlin
Post a Comment