The Best News

“Isn’t that amazing? I asked my husband. “He said that was the best news New York had had in a long time. Yet what about all the flights that went according to plan?”

We were watching the movie “Sully” about Captain Sullenberger who successfully brought down his disabled plane on the Hudson River on January 15, 2009. All 155 on board survived.

The bartender’s comment in the movie made me stop and think. His observation about Captain Sullenberger’s safe land being the best news New Yorkers had heard in a long time, of course referred to the tragedy of 9/11. But why hasn’t every successful flight since September 11, 2001, brought excitement and encouragement to New York? Why did it take a near tragedy and a commitment to courage to elate them?

When life flows smoothly, appliances don’t break down, family members don’t get sick, customers aren’t unhappy, natural disasters don’t strike, then I’m happy. Truthfully, it’s what I’ve come to expect and I don’t even notice when things go “right.” Just like the residents of New York City, we don’t usually notice when life unfolds as planned.

It’s when our equilibrium is threatened, or maybe even our lives imperiled, that we are challenged. Those who rise to the challenge, show courage, and do what is right in the face of disaster, earn our admiration. They make . . . they become the best news.

Life in this broken world gives us ample opportunity to face challenges with courage. Thankfully, God is our strength. Through Him we can face the hard things of life to show God’s love, power, and grace to a needy world. God can make us the “best news” others see.