"A Taxi Ride in London" - by Rev. Weldon Bares

On our group tour to Scotland, our return flight from Edinburgh was unexpectedly canceled. As a result, the 14 of us were scattered across different flights and departure times.

I was rebooked from Edinburgh to London City Airport, followed by a long taxi ride to a hotel near Heathrow Airport for an early morning flight the next day. British Airways asked if I would share the taxi with another passenger. My companion turned out to be a 25-year-old former Marine who had been visiting his girlfriend in Scotland.

The ride lasted nearly two hours, giving us plenty of time to talk. He shared that his visit with his girlfriend and her family hadn’t gone well and that he was carrying a lot of stress. As the miles passed, he told me about growing up without a father, his time in the Marine Corps, and most importantly, about his faith in Christ and his dreams of working in a church.

He had a lot of good questions about faith, what it feels like to be called into ministry, and deeper questions about the Bible and theology. It struck me that, despite the travel frustrations, I was meant to be in that taxi with him.

As we parted, we shook hands and I told Josh, “I believe that God has some wonderful plans for your life.” He smiled and replied, “I believe that too.”

I realized once again that sometimes our inconveniences and disappointments are really God’s appointments.