Recently, while traveling to Florida for vacation,my family had a five-hour layover at the expansive Denver International Airport (DIA). That’s a long time to keep kids entertained, and if we had been confined to a small terminal, we would have surely reached our limit of “fun.” Thankfully, there was plenty to do: underground trains to ride between terminals, restaurants, stores, and, of course, the ever-popular people movers.
If you’re not familiar, people movers are moving sidewalks (think large treadmills) that streamline foot traffic to specific areas. The boys enjoyed running or walking backward on them, marveling at how it made them feel faster or enabled them to walk in place. The thrill came from the novelty, but I can imagine that if we stayed there much longer, we would eventually have slipped into boredom and monotony.
Our boys managed the lengthy layover quite well. There may have been one or two mentions of “how much longer,” but overall, their excitement for exploring and walking kept them engaged. Oddly enough, it was actually a pleasant experience and perhaps even necessary to break up our flight from Spokane, WA, to Panama City, FL.
As wonderful as DIA was, it wasn’t our final destination. There were enough distractions to occupy our time, and if one weren’t careful, it would be easy to get lost or, at the very least, lose track of time. No one would consider riding trams in an airport a vacation. It was merely a brief stop on a longer journey. Without sounding cliché, we should recognize that as humans, we are also on a layover here, waiting for our final destination. We anticipate a place that is more exhilarating and new, but we must learn to make the most of our time while we are here.
As we finished our study of 2 Peter, we stumbled upon some insightful thoughts to reflect on while we wait for our next flight. Peter writes these final words to his audience in
2 Peter 3:13-14, 18-“But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. 14 And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight…18 Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.”
Peter’s words are inspiring. While we wait, we are called to be diligent. When Jesus returns, we should strive to be found living “peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.” This short phrase is packed with meaning, and I connect it back to the airport experience. During our layover, it would have been easy to create chaos—something that’s simple to do with three boys. Instead, we focused on seeking the “peace and prosperity of the city” (Jeremiah 29:7). We should make our surroundings better; we should consider whether our conduct is pure and blameless. Do others see my actions and recognize that I am set apart from the world I inhabit? Do I look like I belong to the airport, or that I’m merely passing through?
Lastly, we are encouraged to grow—constantly progressing and never stopping—in grace (God’s favor) and knowledge. While we are delayed, we can use this time to deepen our understanding of God and discover what pleases Him.
Certainly, we can muddle our way through life, simply trying to survive a lengthy layover. (For the record, my longest was a 16-hour slog in Narita International Airport in Japan.) Or we can take Peter’s words to heart and strive to make the most of our journey. Nobody enjoys sitting and waiting; we should be proactive in living peaceful lives and growing in grace and knowledge. If we do these things, we can endure and persevere through this lifelong layover.