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I recently did some air travel and was very proud of myself for downloading my boarding pass to my phone in lieu of wasting paper.  While I am a product of the generation that feels more comfortable with a paper trail (I still print out a copy of each blog to keep as a reference), I like the simplicity of having everything on the phone.

When the shuttle service dropped me off curbside, I took me and my carryon along with my one personal item into the airport terminal.  I proudly went into my phone and viewed my boarding pass.  It said Concourse D, Gate 15.  Making double sure, I check on the electronic departure displays in the terminal and confirmed that this was in fact the right location for my flight.  I made my way through security and got to the gate two and a half hours prior to my flight.  It had been three days of intense learning, meeting and greeting, filled with education and inspiration.  I was both exhilarated and exhausted.  I could finally power down as the next stop was sunny Florida where my husband would be at curbside ready to whisk me home.

I glanced at the gate.   It said Cancun.  Hmmm.  I figured it would change soon and went to the restroom, got a cup of coffee, and met a man who needed to charge his phone but didn’t have a plug so I let him borrow mine while I read my kindle.  At 60 minutes prior to my departure I noticed that the gate still had Cancun on its billboard.  The thought of Cancun was nice but I wanted to go home.  I couldn’t figure out why that plane hadn’t come and gone until I noticed it wasn’t leaving until after mine!   When I inquired at the gate desk the gentleman informed me that he did not know where my flight was now but that there had been a gate change.  That was when I began to feel pressure in my forehead and my heart began to beat to the rhythm of She’s a Maniac from the movie, Flashdance.  I looked around for the billboard display and didn’t see one around me, so I looked back on my phone and it now said Concourse C, Gate 11!  YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!  I obviously did not get the memo, the text, or hear an announcement.  I hauled up my possessions and began hoofing back to the main area, found concourse C and flopped myself into the first available seat breathless.  I had just run through the terminal at a maniacal pace without the benefits of a youthful body.

Have you ever found yourself on the wrong concourse in life?  You were sure it was the right place but once you got there you realized “Oops!” “This ain’t what I signed up for?”  And the time you spend there is most uncomfortable.  Maybe you didn’t see the signs or hear the gentle whispers of God.  Maybe you did get the text but ignored it, feeling sure you knew better.  You squirm, rant and rave, pray for God to intervene, and can’t think of anything else but your escape. Surely God has you confused with someone who can handle this.

Joseph experienced being on the wrong concourse several times.  First he was sold into slavery and then falsely accused and thrown into prison.  Those concourses were certainly not where he had literally envisioned he would be.  But God used his being sold into slavery, and then in prison to teach and prepare him for what he would eventually do – save the people from famine and forgive his brothers from their wrong doing.  The young Joseph was cocky, filled with false confidence but the man who used his experience on the wrong concourse gained wisdom and grace.

Maybe, just maybe, we are supposed to spend some time on the wrong concourse to gain a perspective or experience we might never have had.  Maybe the time spent on the wrong concourse will lead us to a new concourse where we can utilize the experiences we obtained from the “wrong” one to bring to fruition what God’s plan is for us. Maybe we are being developed to match Gods calling.  The knowledge we gain is accrued when we are on the “wrong” concourse.

If you find yourself on the “wrong” concourse, know that God has not abandoned you, rather leading you and strengthening you to be the soul traveler He intended you to be.

Do you feel like you are on the wrong concourse?  If so, I’d love tohear from you.  Please share any lessons learned so that we may be strengthened by your journey.

 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.  Genesis 50:20 (NIV)