The Advantages of Being Prepared
March 1 2019
Proper planning always pays off. It prepares you for the future and potentially prevents problems from occurring. I saw firsthand the benefits just recently during a business trip. When my flight was booked to travel the week of February 4th, no one thought about that being the day after the Super Bowl. It didn’t dawn on me until the day before that I could be or would be caught in the mass exodus from the Atlanta airport. At that point, it was too late to change my flight. I was stuck.
I heard on the television the night before that they were asking travelers to allow a minimum of three hours once they arrived at the airport. I heeded the warning. I allowed four and a half hours. When I arrived, it was unlike anything I had ever seen before in a US airport. I must admit that I was impressed with the way the airport management was prepared to handle the crowds. It was pretty obvious that they had thought long and hard about how they would get the travelers through the security lines in order for them to make their flights. In anticipation of the large crowds, they had roped off sections of the baggage claim area that guided passengers over to the main security entrance. TSA agents were placed strategically all over the temporary staging areas to answer questions, and direct passengers. They were well prepared. All we had to do was arrive ahead of time and pack patience.
As I moved through the line that meandered around the baggage claim section, I started to get a little concerned because the lines moved slowly. And even though I had allowed what I thought was adequate time, I knew at this pace, there was the risk of me missing my flight. As I was standing there, I was approached by a TSA agent who wanted 10 passengers to take a bus over to the International Terminal for security screening. This was part of their preparation process. They knew they had to move some passengers out of the main terminal to other areas to be processed. Otherwise several passengers would miss their flights. It worked very effectively. A total of 80 people were moved and when we arrived at the International Terminal, we were able to get processed in five to ten minutes. They would do this throughout the day to keep lines manageable. When I caught the train to my gate and got settled, I had two hours to spare.
The Bible has many great lessons on the importance of planning. God, Himself planned the creation of the universe. He also planned our salvation through the birth, death and resurrection of His Son. If we take the time to plan properly, it will make our lives much easier especially if we include God in our planning.