The Middle Seat – Afraid to Fly and Agnostic
by Christine on April 21, 2009
Continuing Part 2 (Part 1 here) about my interesting plane ride in the middle seat.
Sitting next to me on the aisle was a nice gentleman who I found cheerful and talkative. That is, until the plane started to taxi. It turns out that this middle-aged man was deathly afraid of flying. As a matter of fact, he is also afraid of people, cities, crowded spaces – and flying. He said matter-of-factly, “I have lots of phobias.”
Years ago he lived in New York City. Something happened and he just had to get away. He decided to escape to the Maine woods, where he lives alone in one of the most remote parts of upper-Maine, hours from any civilization. He uses a wood-burning stove, hand pumps his water and enjoys the quiet. Because of the death of a dear friend he was returning from a funeral in Atlanta. It had been years since he’d been around large groups of people, cities, oh – and flying.
Once we were airborne he relaxed. He overheard my Jewish friend at the window happily talking away with me about faith (hers and mine) religions, colleges and futures. He joined in to let us know, he didn’t believe in God. As he lived in the woods surrounded by mountains and indescribable beauty he often wondered if there was a God, but had concluded there was not. He seemed very satisfied in his unbelief.
Unfortunately the story has a sad ending. As we were descending, we hit some turbulence. The gentleman gripped the seat in front of him, started to sweat, tried to muffle his desire to cry-out. He was sure he was going to die. I didn’t know what I could do or say to provide comfort. To face certain death without hope for a future with Christ, is certainly frightening. This was not a good time to witness. This was a time though that I could pray during those last few minutes of descent. I sat in my seat and prayed. Prayed that he’d be O.K., prayed that one day he would put his trust in God, prayed that he would find rest for his troubled soul. I also prayed the God would give me the right words of comfort to say if that was the right thing. No words came. The plane landed uneventfully. I said good-bye to my Jewish friend and God bless you to my agonostic friend. My prayer today is that those on either side of my middle seat will soon be drawn to the Father to live under his Fatherly care and blessing.
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