The Backpack Incident

The backpack might have resembled this…everything happened so fast, so a little unsure…

I was having coffee with a long-time friend when she brought up a scary incident that had happened at her church not too long ago. As she was sharing, I immediately thought of something similar that happened to me a few years back — and I couldn’t help but chuckle. Yes, this event is one for the books people...

It was a typical Sunday morning. Jared and I had the joy of teaching a young adult and college Sunday School Class at church. We loved meeting new students and seeing their eagerness to know more about Jesus. One Sunday, a visitor joined us — an international student attending a local college. He didn’t share where exactly he studied but said he was a full-time student. No one in our class knew him, so his visit felt a little unusual, but we were so glad to have him!

After our lesson, we headed over to the sanctuary for corporate worship. On the way, I asked our visitor if he’d like to sit with us. He kindly agreed, and we found our seats just in time for the opening song.

We stood and began to sing when all of a sudden our visitor rushed out of the sanctuary in quite a hurry. The abruptness of it caught me completely off guard. I looked down and noticed his black backpack still sitting on the seat. Now, this was only a year after the Boston Marathon bombing, and as a runner myself, I will say my heart began to beat faster. I tugged on Jared’s arm and whispered, “Jared, I think this is it.”

He looked at me, a little confused, and said, “What?”

“The visitor ran off and left his backpack right here,” I said. “It’s going to blow.”

In that moment, I remember wanting to stop the entire service and warn everyone. My heart was pounding. I prayed quickly: “Lord, please forgive me of all my sins — even the ones I don’t know about — because I’m going to be meeting You soon in Glory. In Jesus Mighty Name I Pray, Amen.”

Just as I was bracing myself for impact, our visitor returned — smiling. Jared looked at me and burst out laughing. (Though later he admitted he’d been a little scared too. Just want to make sure I document that.)

Proverbs 19:10 says, “Be patient, seek to understand the situation fully, and be slow to anger, which is a characteristic of good sense.” To be honest, I was running on assumptions here and wasn’t practicing good sense. Let’s just say I chalked this up to a lesson learned.

John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

God gives us peace through His Holy Spirit — His very presence. Even in moments of uncertainty, assumptions, and fear, we can rest assured that God already knows the outcome. If the backpack had exploded, I would’ve seen Jesus immediately. If it didn’t, I had another day to live here on earth. Either way, God was in control. And the best part of all of this is peace.

If you don’t have peace, communication with God feels distant. Without peace, the heart is restless and empty. Peace is one of God’s greatest gifts — it guards our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7). God doesn’t want us to live in fear, assumptions or uncertainty, but in confidence and strength.

Looking back, I realized I could have taken more time to know our visitor and hear his story before jumping to conclusions. Next time — if there is a next time, Lord help us, — I hope to be more intentional about building relationships instead of making assumptions. Relationships can move mountains when they’re ordained by God. They teach us so much when they point us to Jesus. But when relationships pull us away from God, it’s time to let them go.

I’m thankful for life lessons, for God’s peace, and for the opportunity to connect with fellow believers. May we all have more chances to experience His peace and build relationships that draw us closer to Him.

From A Traveler Just Passing Through….