Everyone I know is talking about the shocking announcement yesterday that Aloha Airlines will shut down operations today after more than 60 years in business. It’s an extremely sad day in Hawaii, especially for those 2,000 people who will be losing their jobs in a few hours.
Still, I was heartened to receive this email last night from an Aloha pilot: “The devastation of closing Aloha will have ripple effects throughout Hawaii, and this presents an opportunity to point out how great God is. Maybe some employees have not been to church for a while, but still have that small seed of faith buried somewhere deep down inside. This event has the potential to grow that seed into something more.”
What an incredible attitude to take. Instead of despairing, he’s hoping to use this painful experience to minister to others with the love and grace of Jesus. He’s banking on what C.S. Lewis observed, that “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
That’s something we all need to be listening for.