I accidentally made friends on a recent flight. Ordinarily, I am the girl who keeps her face buried in a book or watches a movie during a flight. Never do I ever hope to have a chatty row mate. I am not that person. It’s not that I am rude or unkind in any way, but the two hour flight is my opportunity to be still and silent. My job demands constant decision-making, so the quiet is a welcome respite for my spirit.

So what was different on this flight? Nothing on the way to my destination. A young couple slid into the row after I had assumed my window seat. As she sat down, the woman said hello, and I returned the greeting before finishing a movie I had started on a previous plane ride.

After landing at my destination airport, my mind shifted to my grandson. We would spend 48 glorious hours together, and I was dreaming of all the books we’d read and memories we would make. The couple seated next to me…what couple?

That is–until–they sat down next to me on the way home. I am not kidding. As the boarding process tarried, the same couple slid into the seats next to me, and I initiated a conversation. Me, the introvert, started the dialogue. We quickly landed in agreement that we had sat together four days prior, and we proceeded to share a few details about our time in the area. 

Have you ever been seated next to the same people on two legs of a trip? I couldn’t brush off the encounter, so I leaned in. I learned that they serve in a ministry to houseless people in San Antonio–the same ministry I was introduced to by my late friend, Mike. That made me look toward heaven and smile because I knew the connection was a gift. 

After deplaning, they introduced me to a friend they were traveling with who was seated in a different area of the plane. To my surprise, we also had mutual friends. Walking up the jetway, I heard one of them say, “Okay, Jesus.” 

We stood at baggage claim chatting like old friends, and I was struck by how easily I could have missed it. New friends. Deeply faith-filled conversations. Heavenly appointments to connect with and build up the body of Christ. 

I have carried an invisible burden of discouragement throughout the year. It’s not one thing, but many small concerns and offenses I picked up along the way. No one asked me to carry them. In fact, I carry them because I want to fix them. Mostly, I cannot fix them. 

Sometimes, it’s the very burdens we carry that prevent us from seeing the opportunities around us. If we remain focused on what we think we can control, we miss the doors God is throwing open. The opportunity to make a new friend or three.

Accidentally making a friend on a flight was one of the sweetest gifts I received that week, and I could have missed it. I am going to keep looking for how I can join God in the work he is doing all around me. 

I might still be the one with her face buried in a book or watching a movie, but that won’t stop me from looking up, observing, and taking a chance on a conversation with a stranger.

It might be just what I didn’t know I needed.