Marie's Sunday Message - February 19th, 2023

This week my New Testament reading took me through Matthew 5 and Luke 6. The Savior teaches the Sermon on the Mount—the Beatitudes—as He expresses the steps towards a change of heart. That includes being humble, having compassion for others, and being meek. These steps also include a hunger and thirst for righteousness in our lives, becoming merciful towards people and situations even if they choose to hurt us. We are not to have agendas or be manipulative for self-gain, but if it happens, then we are to be the peacemaker; not contending or fighting, just turning the other cheek. We must stand up for God and His ways no matter what the world may teach or think, even if we are persecuted for doing it.

After reading the whole Sermon on the Mount, I found one of the most powerful principles presented, and it’s applicable to every other principle I listed. It’s important, no matter what, to choose a “positive attitude” toward all life can and will bring, even in the face of adversity. I was taught in my youth about the Beatitudes. I believe because of them; I have grown to love the study of human nature and the psychology behind our choices.

So (and here is the drum roll), I decided before I came out on the road to do my shows this weekend, I would write about the Beatitudes for this week's Sunday message. 🤗 And for the whole trip, I would choose to be positive, even in the face of adversity. 🤗🤗 Also, by choosing this behavior, I would see how well it all worked out.🤗🤗🤗

Well, holy moly, be careful about what you say you’re going to do…because I guess God thought, “Marie if you’re going to write about this, let me help you out by giving you some real inspiration to write about!!! OK, seriously… the most challenging trip ever!!!🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗

We started out in Las Vegas, first flying to Minneapolis, then we would catch a connecting flight and end up in Newark. A simple trip with one connecting flight. 👍😁 what could go wrong? Well, after landing in Minneapolis, we hurried like crazy to get to our connecting flight, only to find out (over the loudspeaker) our plane had been delayed. I thought, “that’s OK; we’ll still get into Newark with plenty of time to drive to Bethlehem and get a good night's sleep before the show the next day. You see, I hadn’t been to bed yet from the night before… (a story for another time😉), and I really needed a good night's sleep. What I didn’t know was the airline was starting the dance we all dread.

They pacified everyone by saying don’t worry about the delay; we will know more later - then, information soon.

A couple of hours go by…

Another announcement - The flight is not canceled, so you need to stay close to the gate and not worry! When Upon asking the gate agent about alternative flights, her recommendation was, “it’s not canceled; you will be fine.”

My road manager gave her a nod of thanks…we are patient travelers

More hours go by, and they make another announcement…

“The plane is here, but the crew flying it are delayed in Chicago, and…we will know more about their status in a couple of hours.”

Fewer patient travelers.

We grabbed something to eat (I posted a photo a couple of days ago of us)

Then the airline makes the fourth announcement of “a couple more hours.”

Uh oh…

At this point, I feel I am about to witness the “Insurrection in Minneapolis” Every passenger was very, very (maybe one more “very”?) stressed and verbally unhappy about their missed connections and difficult waiting conditions. (Now I know why folks can’t get nail clippers past security). They could not understand why they wouldn’t book us on a different flight, as the agent tried to explain, “we can’t get your bags off the plane unless it is posted “canceled,” not “delayed.”

The Insurrection meets the stand-off….

To make this worse (you are asking how can this be worse? Just wait), After sitting for 8 hours on hard chairs, with no real information and no healthy food to eat (they were very kind, offering free chips and gummy bears 🤮) we found out at 2 AM they finally had to cancel our flight. Why? When the pilot showed up, he said, “I’m too tired to fly anymore tonight!” Now understandably, I felt the pilot's pain! But I also felt the pain in my body from being stressed and not having any sleep for two days. The other passengers felt exactly the same way.

Well, obviously, through this whole fiasco, I had a lot of time on my hands. So I took the time to process the proper spirit behind the beatitudes while I sat there. What I found most interesting were the passengers who remained calm towards the gate attendants when they inquired on the status of the flight were reciprocated with kindness. But those who demonstrated frustration and anger towards the employees may have received a bit more shortness of patience in return. 🧐

Since I often travel incognito, the gate attendants didn’t know the people in our group were dancers and musicians for my show. They only knew us as they said “nice people.”’ We tried to be patient, and I guess the saying “you reap what you sow” is true!

I thought about the teachings of the beatitudes and how applying them to my airport situation really did make a difference. Choosing to be meek and patient doesn’t make us weak - it empowers us. It also applies to hungering and thirsting after righteousness…which worked out nicely for us since no restaurants were open…😂 I’m kidding! But striving to be kind when you’re exhausted and hungry IS an effort! As we call on the Savior's power to help us in situations like this, He blesses us with the ability to share His light as we try to emulate His love for others

Well, finally, at almost 2 in the morning, the airline said the flight was finally canceled and sent us to a hotel where they said we would get to sleep for about an hour and 40 minutes. Then they would put us on the next available flight, but unfortunately, it would not land in Newark but in LaGuardia. Hey, at least we would eventually get to our destination.

Sitting on that hotel bed for an hour and 40 minutes felt like days because I never went to sleep. I was so worried if I did fall asleep, I wouldn’t wake up😂 We finally got on the flight and landed around 11:30 in the morning. Big progress! But (drum roll again) our luggage took a different flight!!! Now not only did we not have our personal clothes, but we also didn’t have our equipment, costumes, or instruments for the show. I had been so excited to get to the hotel and take a relaxing shower. Now the rosy picture I had painted for myself completely vanished….

I had a choice to make…I could cry (never my style) or….

I started to laugh because I chose to write about the beatitudes before this insane trip even started!!! 😂😂😂 I felt like a war correspondent. I had to be in the action to know what I was writing about.

Everyone in my group was understandably exhausted. But they all remained so kind, and I love them all so much for that! I’m blessed to work with them!!! In the end, we were all safe and together, and we all knew somehow, we would find a way to pull it off.

And that’s exactly what we all did!

At the last-minute miracle happens, our luggage, equipment, and instruments showed up! I didn’t have to perform in sneakers! I believe it was because we had chosen to be positive, and we were blessed! We ended up having such a fun show in Bethlehem that night! Is it irony or fate that we were in Bethlehem writing about the Beatitudes? 🤣😂🤣

The Beatitudes really are about the importance of our choices … no matter what obstacles might come our way. They help us remember to stay positive and turn to HIM for guidance and strength. Especially when life gets too much to bare, they are a powerful reminder that we can find peace and strength even in the most difficult of situations. And by choosing to seek His light, we will find the help we need. When we embrace the teachings in the Bible, God knows they will help us become stronger, better, and more compassionate individuals.

May God bless us all as we choose to be positive. Happy Sunday, and by the way… it was so great to see all of you at my shows… and as always - you touch my heart deeply. #HappySunday

🥰💖👈

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