Put Your Seat Up!

I climbed on a plane the other day after a four hour delay. We were late and people were grouchy. As I got to my seat and settled in for a long flight, the lady in front of me leaned her seat back.

I was not happy. If you know anything about airplane etiquette it’s that you should wait until you’re in the air before you compress the living space of the person behind you.

Suddenly the seat went back up. I smiled. Then it came down. Then up. Then down again. Finally, the lady, turned around apologetically and said, “It’s broken. It won’t stay up.”

Those few words changed everything. Instead of annoyance, there was empathy. There was nothing she could do. She was as frustrated as I was.

We constantly run into people with “broken seats.” They’re annoying. They do stuff that bugs us, stuff that doesn't make any sense and stuff that is offensive.

Some people are oblivious to their problem and just go through life unaware of how their brokenness is impacting the people around them. Others are aware, but don’t have the tools to fix it.

But understanding that she was struggling was a game changer. Sure, there are some jerks who put their seat back on you and don’t really care, but not normally.

When you’re able to see life from their perspective, (sit in their seat) their behavior may still be frustrating, but there is grace for the person.

Fortunately for both of us, so many people had abandoned the flight during our delay, the lady was able to find a different place to sit.

That’s the hope for all of us. That when we become aware of our brokenness, we can begin to find ways to change, we can begin to find healing. Because if we're honest with ourselves we may realize, we are the one with the broken seat.