Line = Queue = Order

I was once in line at an airport in London. I was going through customs and was anxiously feeling as if the line was not moving fast enough for me to catch my next flight. An approaching man must have felt the same way. Although, instead of waiting patiently, he did what would be the unforgivable in most elementary lunch lines. He “Cut”.

The airline officials saw this and immediately approached him in front of everyone. “What part of a queue do you not understand?” They firmly asked. That was the question we all wanted to yell at the man. What part of standing in line did he not get? Was he not human? Everyone understands you have to stand in line. Immediately they made him go to the end of the line and told him to get back in the queue (British word meaning “line”). Justice was served and order was restored.

About a year ago, I went to a visitation. The line to view the deceased was so long it wrapped around the inside of the building several times and was even overflowing onto the sidewalk outside. I got out of my car and walked up to the end of the line. I didn’t ask questions. I just took my place in line. When the person in front of me moved foward..so did I. I stood in that line for over an hour. When the person in front of me moved, that was my signal that I was to move as well. No questions asked.

It was a long line, and I guess I had nothing better to do than to analyze how weird it was that I wasn’t questioning where the line was going or if I was even in the right line to begin with. I just instinctively saw a line nearby and jumped into it and was confident I would get to where I needed to go.

The unspoken rules and value we place in the line principle are pretty universal (unless you are driving in Bucharest, Romania!). You get in the line and watch the person in front of you and follow them. Many times you can’t see your destination but you usually have faith that by following the person directly ahead, you will eventually get there.

Black Friday is a great example of the faith we put in lines. When ready to check out, the line is usually at the back of the store. You find the end of the line of people looking tired and frustrated, and you just join it. You may need to ask, “Is this the line?” because you can’t see the registers. Otherwise, no more questions are needed. You stand there and trust that by following the person in front of you, you will get to your desired destination.

Lines give us order. We are taught at a very young age that participating in them, is not only the socially acceptable way to live, but the only way to live. We do this in some way each and everyday of our lives. It is what we have found as the only way to live. How could we survive otherwise?

I often give thanks during prayers to the Lord for being with me each day. I’m not sure I could survive without Him in my life. I can’t imagine life without Him. Each day, I put one foot in front of the other and move throughout this life. Lines amaze me and have got me to thinking. What if we had the kind of faith and value we put in lines as we did in following the Lord? What if we jumped in His line behind Him? With every move He made, we followed? I can’t help but wonder how my life would be different if I jumped in line behind Him with that kind of faith and with no questions asked.

Why do we follow strangers in a line with no second thought, but struggle to follow the Lord in His line when we are promised it’s what is good for us. Imagine the order we would have in life if we did this with the second nature way we do in everyday lines in life. What part of getting in queue with God are we not getting? Maybe we are just like that rude man in the airport and need to be set straight. God’s order is like no other. Let us all jump in line behind Him and reap the benefits. Line= Queue= Order.