“I was flying Southwest Airlines from Dallas to New York. Three rows ahead of me, there was a young soldier in uniform. He looked barely 18. He was staring straight ahead, gripping the armrests. He looked nervous.
When the drink cart came around, the flight attendant asked him what he wanted. ‘Coke, please,’ he said.
‘Heading home?’ she asked kindly. ‘No, ma’am,’ he said. ‘Deploying. First time.’ The whole row went quiet. The flight attendant didn’t say a word. she handed him his Coke.
Then, she got on the PA system. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, we have a very special guest in Row 8 today. Private Miller is on his first deployment to serve our country. Since I can’t buy him a drink, I’m going to ask a favor.
If you want to write him a note of encouragement, pass it forward.’ I grabbed a napkin. I wrote: ‘You got this. Stay safe. – A dad from Row 12.’
I watched as napkins traveled up the aisle. Napkins, receipts, pages torn from books. By the time we landed, the soldier had a pile of paper on his tray table three inches high. He stood up to get his bag, and he was wiping his eyes.
He carefully packed every single scrap of paper into his rucksack. ‘Thank you,’ he told the flight attendant.
‘No,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’ We all walked off that plane a little quieter, reminded that freedom is just a word until you meet the kid who is defending it.”
My Commentary:
This touching story reminds us that courage often wears a very young face.
The young soldier sitting on that airplane was not thinking about medals, parades, or recognition. He was facing uncertainty, danger, and the unknown. Like many who serve, he was quietly carrying a burden that most of his fellow passengers would never fully understand.
Then something beautiful happened. A flight attendant noticed him.
She saw beyond the uniform and recognized a young man who was nervous and afraid. Her simple request transformed an ordinary flight into a community of encouragement. One by one, strangers reached for napkins, scraps of paper, and torn pages. They offered words of support to someone they would probably never meet again.
Looking through the eyes of Jesus, this is a wonderful example of what it means to bear one another’s burdens. None of the passengers could go on the deployment for him. None could remove his fears. But they could remind him that he was not alone.
That is often how God works. He comforts us through the kindness of others. A note. A prayer. A word of encouragement. A hand on the shoulder. Small acts can carry enormous power.
The image of the soldier carefully placing every note into his rucksack is especially moving. Those pieces of paper became more than messages. They became reminders that people cared, that strangers were praying for him, and that his service mattered.
Jesus often noticed people whom others overlooked. He encouraged the fearful, strengthened the weary, and reminded people of their worth. The passengers on that flight did the same.
Two days from our nation’s 250th Birthday, when America feels divided, this story offers hope. For a brief moment, politics, backgrounds, and personal differences disappeared. People simply came together to support a young man preparing to serve America.
This is a lesson for us all this July 4th. Sometimes the greatest gift we can give another person is not a solution, but the assurance that they do not walk alone. Everyone living between our shores needs to know this and feel this. The young soldier is giving his life for all of us.
As Christians, we call that encouragement.
As Americans, we call it gratitude.
And as human beings, we call it love.
Who can YOU give assurance to this 4th of July that they do not walk alone?
SOMETIMES LIFE HAS A TENDENCEY TO WIPE AWAY A SMILE. GOD HAS A TENDENCY TO KEEP YOU SMILING!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading “What Makes America America”. Fr. Laz skillfully presents many of the ideals, issues and accomplishments of the American people that set the United States apart from other nations. The book is published at the perfect time for Americans to realize that although we have differences of opinion on many matters, our right to express those differences and ability to resolve our disagreements make America great.
Signed Christopher
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