Jet Setting with Jesus

This season has been full of plane rides for me.  On one of these trips, the blaring engine of flight 173 sent me into prayer.  Just then, my row-mate turned to me and said, "I want to be a Rabbi,"  and smiled in an idyllic way.  In his smile, two choices were set before me:
1. Easy (Just be friendly and uninterested) 
"Oh that's nice.  I hope you get there."


2. Hard (See how the Holy Spirit might take this)  
"Oh wow, what made you decide to choose a religious career?"  or "Have you always been a person of faith?"




I guess I could've also said, "No speaka Englishhhh" but since part of my following Jesus has been to try hard to avoid falsely playing the "I'm an international!" card and since part of my following Jesus has been to try to choose option 2 whenever possible.  I chose 2.  And there I was in the middle of this stranger's spiritual history, watching Jesus lower walls that most strangers should have up.  


In the course of our short 2-hour flight, I found out that this future Rabbi didn't actually believe in God, that he wished his father was more involved in his life, and that his faith community held together his spirit. Consequently I got to share about my family history, the importance of my faith community, and the drastic difference faith made in my life. 


What was Jesus showing me in that moment?  I could choose to be an island, a non-concerned human choosing selfishness over relationship, or I could choose reality... to see that this future Rabbi is loved so deeply by God.  And as I looked at all the bobbing heads (it was a bumpy ride) in all the rows of flight 173, I was overwhelmed that my God knew all their stories and knew all their lives' trivialities and was loving each of them.  This, not the worry about overhead space, not whether I would sleep on someone's floor or couch, not whether or not someone on the plane would get me sick.  This, mind boggling love, was Jet-setting with Jesus.