“Will Nancy Ruegg please come to the gate counter,” a voice announced over the airport PA system. My one-track mind was deep into a book but fortunately I heard my name.
What could they possibly want with me? I wondered, while gathering my belongings and approaching the counter.
“Mrs. Ruegg,” began the attendant, “we have a favor to ask of you. Would you mind changing your seat so a father and son can travel together? You’d still be in an aisle seat.”
“Sure—I can do that,” I responded. She thanked me, changed my ticket, and I returned to the waiting area. Sometime later, they called my name again and asked the same favor. Though further back in the plane, I’d still be on the aisle so I said yes.
And then, just before boarding they called me up a third time: “Mrs. Ruegg, because you’ve been so kind, we’d like to put you in first class. We happen to have an empty seat.”
Now imagine if I’d responded, “Oh, no thank you. I’d much rather stay in the main cabin.”
How silly! I would have missed:
- the relative peace and quiet of first class
- the blessings of more leg room and a wide, cushy seat that actually reclines
- the attentive care of the flight attendant, who even addressed me by name
- the privilege of a full meal and delectable snacks—way beyond peanuts and pretzels
That’s a lot of benefits to pass up, if I’d said no. Yet that’s exactly what we’re prone to do in day-to-day life. We forego a life of satisfying upgrades and settle for a lot of frustrating futility, because we don’t avail ourselves to the benefits Christ offers.
‘Remember what he said?
Many versions of the Bible use the term, “abundant life,” indicating a surplus, a super-abundance of a thing [1].
Of course, Jesus wasn’t promising a trouble-free life, any more than sitting in first class that day solved all my problems. Rather, the abundant life consists of knowing God and experiencing the fruit of that relationship—into eternity [2].
What might “the fruit of relationship” with God include? Some qualities share characteristics with first class on a flight:
- Peace and quiet—of mind and spirit
- The delight of many blessings
- The attentive care of a heavenly Father who knows each of us by name
- The privilege of access to God’s Word, providing rich soul-sustenance [3]
But that’s not all; the list continues. (No doubt these are familiar to many of you, but seeing them altogether rekindles the wonder, I think):
- An intimate relationship with the God of the universe
- His unfailing love
- Inexpressible and glorious joy
- Wisdom to choose the best means for the best end
- Guidance for the way forward
- God’s help and strength
- Freedom from guilt and worry
- Fulfilling purpose
- Contentment [4]
It’s a magnificent list, isn’t it? So why aren’t we availing ourselves of these benefits?
Instead, we’re sitting in the main cabin of life with the constant rumble in our minds of nagging worries and worthless trifles, the crush of responsibilities pressing in on all sides, and a lack of sustenance to feed our hungry souls.
What will usher us into the abundance of first-class living? We follow the judicious instructions of our Maker—and move toward obedience.
These three steps offer a start:
- Get to know God through frequent study of his Word, the Bible. (See A Feast You Don’t Want to Miss/.)
- Avail ourselves through prayer to his “abundant provision of grace.” (See Undeserved-Goodness-Part-1/).
- Start the day alert for God’s guaranteed blessings and end the day with gratitude for his benevolent goodness. (See Balancing-the-Scales/).
We’ll soon discover: “A life of holiness is a life of real happiness—happiness for time and for eternity” (John MacDuff).
‘Anyone still interested in peanuts and pretzels?
[1] William Barclay, The Gospel of John, 69.
[2] https://insightforliving.ca/read/articles/finding-balance-between-abundant-life-and-challenges.
[3] Isaiah 26:3; Psalm 23:5; Psalm 121; Isaiah 43:1; Jeremiah 15:16.
[4] James 4:8; Psalm 86:15; 1 Peter 1:8; Proverbs 2:1-11 and J. I. Packer, Knowing God;
Psalm 32:8; Isaiah 41:10; Romans 8:1; Philippians 4:6-7; Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 4:11-12.
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What a beautiful and powerful metaphor, Nancy! Thank you for these excellent words of encouragement!!
You’re welcome and Thank YOU, Debbie. Praise God for his inspiration!
Of course, eternal life is the biggest “perk,” and if that were the only one, it would still be worth giving up the peanuts we have here. 😉
P. S. I do think the experience you had was largely due to your kindness to others.
AMEN, Annie. Eternal life is the ultimate gift!
We travel first class when we travel with the Lord!
TT
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Absolutely, Michele! SO many perks–this post just scratched the surface!
No thanks to the peanuts and pretzels, Nancy. I’ll take the full-meal deal of abundance that God offers here and now, and for eternity. I so loved your story of how your selfless generosity lead you toward a blessing you could have never seen coming.
What that attendant asked me to do seemed such a small favor in comparison to the “reward” they offered me! Now if they’d asked me to take a middle seat, I probably would’ve turned them down! 🤣
Thank you for sharing this great example. God’s plan is always perfect. In the little things in life and in the big things, God is always with us. Have a blessed day! 🙂
You’re welcome, Melissa. It is a glorious reality to have a perfect God providing perfect oversight of our lives!
Such a wonderful and uplifting post!!! I think this one will be added to my ‘favorites’ list. Thank you! 🙂
That warms my heart, Linda. So glad you found uplift in this post. Praise God for his inspiration!
What a great example of the benefits of availing ourselves of God’s many blessings. Your story is an easy lesson to take with us every day.
Thank you, Linda. God is so good; it must hurt his heart when we get sidetracked into anxiety and negativity, to the point we don’t even notice his blessings.
Your personal story was delightful, Nancy. You tied it in seamlessly with the fruit of our relationship with God. 🙂
Thank you, Nancy. Praise God for his inspiration!
Such a cool story about the first class seat. And the life applications. Thanks, Nancy!
You’re welcome, Sue. Praise God for his inspiration!
The really good news Nancy … wherever we may be seated here, all of us with Savior ID will be forever seated First Class in Glory 😊🪽😊
LOVE the way you carried the metaphor a step further, Fred!
Love how you related your experience to living an abundant life in Christ. Such a wonderful reminder that we ourselves keep putting ourselves in the main cabin as you said and sitting in first class did not solve all your problems. We are so fortunate that we have this relationship with God, may we be obedient and lean into Him.
Amen, Manu. We do enjoy an AWESOME privilege, to be in relationship with Almighty God! Obedience should be a JOY; continual leaning on him should lead to PEACE. May that be our experience more and more each day!
Great advice as always. I’ll take my pretzels with a side order of melted cheese. Have a great weekend.
Thank you, Cathy. I’ve never tried pretzels and cheese! Sounds delicious.
what a great story. Love this sentence: Instead, we’re sitting in the main cabin of life with the constant rumble in our minds of nagging worries and worthless trifles, the crush of responsibilities pressing in on all sides, and a lack of sustenance to feed our hungry souls.
so true my friend. and a great image to remind us.
Thank you, Jean, for your encouragement. As always, I have to thank God for his inspiration, planting idea-seeds in my mind and helping me grow them into blog posts. I know you feel the same!
This was terrific! Your real-life example was spot on, with your kindness making way for a first-class seat. It’s a great analogy, comparing life before Jesus to the main cabin of a plane, or even steerage on a ship. Being moved up to first class with the privileges of God’s truth and blessings makes one wonder why anyone would choose any less. Thank you for this awesome word picture.
Thank you, Dayle. You raise a question I’ve asked myself: why some people are so hesitant to give Jesus a try. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain. “Why would anyone choose anything less?” indeed!
I love your analogy, Nancy. Of course a first class seat was worth giving up a second rate seat, even when you weren’t expecting a reward for your kindness!
Thank you, Pam. That first class seat was a delightful surprise!
By your definition I think I’m in the business-class section of life. Aware of His abundance and engaged in all that He offers, but as for fully embracing both? I can do better. I’ve often thought first-class is a good aspiration in life. Now I’ll think of it more as a good aspiration OF life!
We can all do better, Dave. Spiritual growth is a process that continues for our entire lives. “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). Some might see that statement as discouraging, that we never arrive at perfection this side of heaven. But it can also be encouraging, that no matter how long we live, we can always choose to move “further up and further in” (from C. S. Lewis’s The Last Battle), enjoying new discoveries and greater intimacy with our heavenly Father.
Thank you for this, Nancy. I’ve always believed faith is a journey along a road that is anything but straight, with unexpected obstacles along the way. My hope is that every experience (good or bad) is by design, to strengthen my trust in Him as the years pass by. He was there when I was born, he is there at every turn, and he will be there to welcome me on my day of reckoning.
AMEN, Dave! My hope is the same!
I enjoyed reading all the well-deserved comments, so lovely! And this: “the abundant life consists of knowing God and experiencing the fruit of that relationship—into eternity” YES INDEED🙌❣️❣️
Thank you, Lisa. Isn’t that a helpful definition of the abundant life? I appreciated it too–for its insight and conciseness.
Simply wonderful, Nancy!
Thank you, Dana–and praise God!
I enjoyed your post Nancy! It was a wonderful reminder of the benefits we miss out on when we don’t surrender to Christ. We must be willing to say yes to Him each day. Thank you!
Thank you, Dawn. Saying yes to Christ each day–YES! I pray to be faithful to that objective, Dawn. I know you do too!
A beautiful reminder, Nancy, that His abundant life is a gift and just a “yes” away.
Thank you, Lisa!
What a fantastic story and analogy, Nancy! I appreciate your willingness to help us get seated in first class. Beautiful!!
Thank you, Wynne. First class with Jesus is the only way to travel on this journey of life!
Love this story, Nancy! Sometimes we get that first class treatment here on earth but not too often!
Oh but what He has in store for those of us who believe. Thank You, Jesus, for the untold joys you have for us in the future.
AMEN, my friend!
You were rewarded for your kindness, and God will reward us for our attention to Him and His Word in all the wonderful ways you mentioned. Your story is one I’ll remember, Nancy, and relish the lesson you shared so well.
Thank you, Patty. I know you are right with me, in the effort to “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2 NIV)!
This was a very helpful read. I’m afraid that lately I’ve been trying to carry the burden of worrying over many things instead of availing myself of the benefits of our Savior’s first class treatment if I wholly surrender my cares to Him. Thank you, Nancy.
Praise God this post ministered encouragement to you, dear Cheri. You have a lot on your shoulders as you care for your mother and minister to your family as well as take care of your own responsibilities. It’s a constant pressing on for all of us toward greater faith in God and acquiescence to him!