You Get What You Pay For

And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 2 Corinthians 9:14-15 (NIV)

I feel like I flew around the world instead of just 1 ½ hours. After practically being strip searched and removing all of the very simple silver jewelry that I wore so I could successfully get through the metal detector, my backpack was singled out for inspection. I watched as a TSA employee took every item out of my backpack even though I told her that I had a large pottery bowl inside wrapped in bubble wrap and covered with my sweater. She was kind about it and even apologized, but her warning to stand still and not reach for any of my belongings was unnerving as was her question about whether I had anything sharp inside my bag. All I could think about was the ceramic wildflower pins I had purchased as gifts. Once she was done, I was a limp with fatigue. I sat down on the floor not just in order to repack my belongings, but to recover before I could face the airline employees. If the Greenville Airport was Oz, then the TSA folks were Glenda the Good Witch and the airline employees were the Wicked Witch of the West. The low budget airline makes a straight shot from St. Pete/Clearwater airport to Greenville just an hour from Asheville. While the airport locations are ideal and the prices are cheap, this particular airline makes an effort to find the rudest employees and then, send them to anti-customer service training. Rarely have I met people who can make you feel so anxious, so small, and so hopeless. There were two flights leaving from the same end of the terminal. There was a lot of confusion about the destination of the plane that was at the gate. One airline employee got on the intercom and screamed at the crowd, “Listen, everyone. This plane is going to St. Petersburg. If you are going to Mississippi, this is NOT your plane.” Then, she proceeded to lecture us all that if we didn’t remain in our seats until we were called, she would not allow anyone to board the plane. When everyone obeyed orders and found a seat, she began calling small groups forward. I saw that she was rejecting some people’s carry-ons as too big so my stomach knotted. She was extremely antagonistic in how she dealt with people, so I decided if I was singled out I would just surrender my bag peacefully and pay the fee. I prayed as I got in line because I just didn’t think I could take another hassle and just as I got to the front, her phone rang and she turned away. Another employee took her place, and I was able to walk right on through. I suppose when you fly a cheap airline, you get what you pay for. Fortunately, God is not like that airline and doesn’t expect us to buy our own ticket to Heaven. We don’t get what we deserve because His Son paid the price. Thanks be to God.