Nicole and I were just in Denver, and we flew home yesterday on an Airbus A320.

Check out these stats I got from the Airbus website:

• Length: 123 feet.
• Wingspan: 111 feet.
• Weight: 90,000 pounds, empty; 162,000 pounds, loaded.
• Range: about 3000 nautical miles.
• Cruising speed: 560 miles per hour.
• Passengers: about 150.

And this is small as airliners go. Think about this for a minute: God has allowed (and caused!) human understanding to reach the point that engineers can figure out how to make 45 tons of steel carry 150 people across the country at nearly the speed of sound! We travelled 1700 miles in just over 3 hours.

As we landed, I was thinking about the common grace of God in air travel, and thanking God for this amazing technology.

But you know what I noticed? Complaining. As we waited to get off the plane, I couldn’t help but overhear people snort with anger as someone ahead of us struggled with their bags, briefly delaying us from exiting the plane. Predictions about how long baggage claim would take. Grumbling about the heat and humidity. Anger at the airline for not giving us lunch.

And I’m not immune. So many times I have, in my heart, demanded the things I want right now. Through my complaining, I have told God that he’s not doing a very good job running the world, and that I could do better.

How much better to recognize God’s goodness to us in this amazing peice of technology. The few extra moments it took to get off the plane is nothing compared to the hours we saved by flying instead of driving. Or the weeks we saved by flying instead of walking!

It makes me think of this verse:

“I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.” Psalm 86:12.

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