By Ife J. Ibitayo
Losing all my luggage on the way to a destination wedding in Africa is not how I imagined kicking off 2023. A siren blared in the back of my skull when a gate agent forced me to check my carryon bag: full of the clothes I needed to fulfill my role as a groomsman. Twenty-four hours later, I landed in Ethiopia, exhausted and bleary-eyed. And my nightmare became my waking reality as I found out I wouldn’t receive my luggage until the day after my friend’s wedding. My mom rang me shortly after, and I barely managed to croak, “I lost everything.”
Counting on Little
As I settled into bed after having brushed my teeth with the last vestiges of the mini-toothbrush set Qatar Airways had provided, I was plagued by how much I’d lost. I didn’t know how I’d make it through tomorrow let alone the wedding coming up that weekend. But as hours stretched into days, I marveled at how little I actually needed. Deodorant is helpful, as are spare underwear, socks, and t-shirts, but life has a way of going on even when you lose the many “essentials” you’ve grown accustomed to.
In the book of Philippians, apostle Paul says, “I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything (Philippians 4:11-12).” The word translated “learned” in this passage is manthano. As opposed to learning from head knowledge, manthano is learning from experience. Of course, the comparison is a little disingenuous when I was staying in a 4-star hotel while Paul was subsisting in a Roman dungeon. But as cruel a mistress as fate can be when traveling internationally, in God’s hands, it can be transformed into an invaluable instructor in finding joy apart from material circumstances.
Counting on My Friends
Further, I was blown-away by the kindness of my friends and their family members as we made the best of my difficult circumstances. From cogent advice to help shopping, my Ethiopian friends enabled me to tread water for the days that I was without pretty much everything.
After I thanked the groom’s sister for all her assistance in mashing together a Frankenstein composite of replacement clothes for the wedding, she replied with a laugh, “Nobody could have done this alone.”
In a similar vein, wise King Solomon once said, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). If I learned one crucial lesson from this trip, it’s never travel alone! Yet I believe this teaching extends far beyond physical journeys. We were meant to journey through all of life together.
In accordance with this truth, Apostle Paul instructed 1st century Christians, “I don’t mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality. Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it” (2 Corinthians 8:13-14). So in this situation, others were able to meet my need because I was traveling in community. And likewise in the future, when others’ needs arise, I will be able to pay it forward to them as well.
Counting on My God
Lastly, I was sustained by God’s Word. The morning after I lost my belongings, the verse of the day was Matthew 6:34: “‘Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own’”, which is an especially apt verse when you are lying awake in a jetlagged stupor attempting to figure out where you went wrong.
Earlier in the same passage, Jesus says, ‘“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes” (Matthew 6:25)? This verse shaped my experience here in Ethiopia. I was honestly tempted to drink a cocktail of self-pity and wallow in my sorrows, but this verse reminded me that there is more in life than food, drink, and even clothing.
Conclusion
As I wrap up this article the morning before I board my flight back to the United States, I am grateful. I am grateful for the laughter and jubilation as we celebrated my good friend’s wedding to his soulmate. I am grateful for the provision of God above and the kindness of loved ones all around me as I navigated this dizzying new adventure. And I am even grateful that I lost my luggage in the first place because now I appreciate how much God has given me in a fresh, new way.
“And my God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 4:19)