Terminal Wait

On Saturday night, we went to see The Terminal. Without giving anything away, although it should be pretty obvious by now from the movie trailers, it’s about a man who is forced by circumstances to wait in the limbo of an international airport terminal. For nine months. Vince says it’s based on a true-to-life-story and that there is an actual stateless man living indefinitely in Terminal 1 of Charles de Gaulle – what a nightmare!

Anyway. The Terminal one of those weepy feel-good films that you forget about after a few hours, except that my sister said something that gave me pause (she has that uncanny knack): “The best part of it is that it’s about waiting.”

Waiting? Wait a minute, that’s the worst part of it – the nightmarish part,in fact! But yes, what else is there to do in an airport terminal but wait? Sleep, shop, read, people-watch…all while waiting. Many of us are all-too familiar with the experience of waiting for what seems like days to take a flight or to go through immigration, but this guy in the movie (and apparently in real life) doesn’t know when his flight takes off or the gates open.

Which is much like our experience of waiting indefinitely for things we hope to be or to have in this life. We’re not sure if we actually will be or will have these things, and yet we hope (especially when there’s not much we actually “do” about making the hope happen)…and wait. And wait and wait and wait, until we impatiently realize that whatever it is we’re waiting for might never actually come to pass…and then despair sets in.

Not so in this film. The most beautiful part about it is that it’s about finding contentment in the waiting. It seemed like all others were impatient for Viktor Navorski, for him to do something that would hasten his fondest’s desire yet ultimately cause him ruin, but our hero trusted in proper timing. He was waiting for something – in general, that freedom to escape from limbo – and yet, he found contentment in his waiting, busying himself with all the other things he was made for and meant to do: building character, building skills, building relationships. All of which, turned out, to be essential when that moment he was waiting for finally arrived. Actually – without giving anything away – when the moments, plural, he was waiting for each finally arrived. :-)

We’ve all heard about waiting on God and His perfect timing, but actually practicing “the wait” can sometimes get a little frustrating. If you haven’t seen the film yet (or if you intend to see it again), keep in mind contentedness in waiting, and the beautiful rewards of “active patience” – if I may call it that. God bless us all, as we put Him first above all else, and actively wait. :-)

“Put your trust in Yahweh and do right, make your home in the land and live secure.
Make Yahweh your joy and he will give you your heart’s desires.
Commit your destiny to Yahweh, be confident in him, and he will act, making your uprightness clear as daylight, and the justice of your cause as the noon.” (Psalm 37:3-6)

“Glory be to him whose power working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine; glory be to him from generation to generation in the Church and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)