A mental break would not cut it. I made a physical about-turn to avoid looking at the attractive man 30 people ahead of me in the boarding queue. This, after thinking: ‘Someone’s going to get to sit next him, why not me…?’ I passed him on the way to my seat and when I referred to my ticket, I noted that he sat just one seat diagonally away from mine. ‘Almost the movie,’ I laughed and took my seat.
‘He reads?!’ Few people read books anymore, still fewer, hard-copies! ##INSTANT cool-factor##! What was he was ingesting…? ‘Friendly too?’ I thought, as he conversated comfortably with an airhostess.
Take-off >> He placed his books under his seat…How I wanted to see! I resisted being invasive but when we levelled and he was missing one, I handed it to him, “Did you lose this?” I said, and casually asked: “What are you reading?” “English poetry from Ia-la-la-la-la” he responded. Poetry?! What depth! ‘Why are you reading poetry?’ I questioned further. “It’s a great conversation starter,” he laughed. ~~Charming~~ From there an interaction of several hours took off. >>>
Not long into the flight my neighbour interrupted us to say he’d be moving to the middle pew because 3 free seats were available; this way I could also lay down since no-one was on my right… After a while of twisting his back to converse, “Mr A” (for Attractive : ) asked if he could come sit beside me… The movie!
My imagination instantly fast-forwarded to the intimacy such close contact and extended conversation naturally creates. Romantic movies amalgamated in my mind concluding in the inevitability and certain pleasure this situation potentiated.
##PAUSE!!!!## I thought, now fearing the absence of a physical barrier of chairs between us.
##FLASHBACK## A church elder and friend talking to me and some friends beside a beautiful waterfall. ‘Do you want to go to heaven?’, he asked. “Yes” we unanimously responded. ‘Then you have to stop watching TV. TV teaches you to love sin; to find pleasure in evil.’ It is in direct violation to the instruction: “Whatsoever things are true, just, pure, lovely… think on these things.” (Philippians 4:8). Do murder, adultery, lying or intrigue fall under those descriptors? “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” – Mathew 5:8.
Though I’d invited temptation, I now determined for heaven! In the seconds that it took Mr A to come round to where I sat, I knew I no longer wanted the movie. I wanted heaven!
“I’m a missionary-English teacher,” I said, purposefully starting a safe premise for the next wing of our conversation and supplicating our Father’s help…
In preparation for the anticipated famine of the Word of God (Amos 8:11) and certain darker periods ahead (Daniel 12:1), may we take this opportune time to hide the Word of the Lord in our hearts (Psalm 119:11); guarding against mental consumption that disqualifies us from heaven, ‘For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.’ (Proverbs 23:7)
By Roné