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A reflection on the Air India crash: How a missed flight can change how we think about life’s negative outcomes

  • Writer: Carson Speight
    Carson Speight
  • Jun 19
  • 4 min read
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Last week, Air India flight AI171 crashed shortly after takeoff and killed all but one of the 242 people on board. It's tragic news. May we be faithful in praying for the victims' families.


The story of Vishwashkumar Ramesh, the lone survivor on the flight, is almost unbelievable. To hear of someone surviving a crash like that is practically unheard of. It's a blessing to have a story of light amidst such darkness.


The other story that caught the attention of many was the one of Bhoomi Chauhan, who missed the flight by ten minutes because of trouble getting to the airport. In a conversation with BBC News, she detailed her frustrations leading up to not being able to board, then getting the phone call that the plane had crashed. In her words, "This is a total miracle for me. God protected me by delaying my flight."


Of course, we're thankful Ms. Chauhan experienced the inconvenience of missing the flight. Her story is compelling, and it's a meaningful case study regarding how we see time play out for each for us.


The wrong assumption of a favorable outcome


On the day of her flight, Ms. Chauhan was determined to achieve what she perceived to be a favorable outcome: getting on a plane so she could fly home. As she realized this wouldn't happen, understandably she became frustrated. But following the accident, it was apparent she was wrong about her favorable outcome. Instead of making the flight, her favorable outcome was that she didn't get on the plane.


Of course, part of being human is striving for good outcomes. We'd rarely achieve them otherwise. But it's worthwhile considering how often we're not in control of our outcomes, and even more, how often we don't even know what the best outcome is.


This is particularly true with our time. Many of us work hard to make our schedules air-tight with little room for disruption. But we may find that an inconvenience of our time is a blessing in disguise.


What happened when Jesus wasn't on time


There are two occasions recorded in the Gospels when Jesus missed being on time. Once was because of him. The other was because of others. Both times there was a life-and-death consequence.


When Jesus was told his friend Lazarus was sick, he waited two days before leaving to go see him. When he arrived, Lazarus was dead, and the family asked where he'd been.


When Jesus was going to heal Jairus' daughter, he was stopped by a woman in need of healing. He took time to take care of her, but it kept him from getting to Jairus' daughter on time.


A more favorable outcome

To Lazarus' and Jairus' families, the favorable outcome was Jesus getting there on time to heal their sick. It didn't happen, their sick died, and they naturally despaired.


Then, God did the miraculous. Jesus called the dead Lazarus out of the tomb, raising him to new life. Likewise, he held Jairus' dead daughter by the hand and raised her up out of bed.


In both instances, a more favorable outcome was revealed. Even more, the joy of the outcome was greater because of their greater despair.


What to assume when time doesn't work out


Naturally, when our ideal outcome isn't achieved, we remain frustrated, because we assume that we knew what was best for us. Yet, we rarely assume that what we didn't get could've been good for us.


The outcome of Ms. Chauhan's missed flight is rare and extreme. But it could serve as a reminder that even in less extreme circumstances, we could benefit from assuming our ideal outcome is incorrect if we’re in the middle of it, or was incorrect if it’s passed.


If we’re in the momentif we’re Ms. Chauhan stuck in traffic or Lazarus’ family watching their brother die without Jesuswe naturally dwell on the negative and attempt to control what we think is best. That tends to make us impatient, anxious, and angry.


If the moment has passed and things didn’t work out, we may assume it was bad luck, the random result of a chaotic universe. But if we believe that there’s purpose to our life, that there’s an engaged Creator looking out for our best interests, then we may assume what we thought was best in fact, wasn’t. We may be able to trust in that idea and find contentment with the circumstance.


Who will we be when what's ideal fails?


There are so many other philosophical rabbit holes we could pursue at this point. (What were the best interests of those on the flight? Is there a reason for everything that happens to us? Does that make our lives deterministic?) But what’s worth considering is that as life progresses, we can be one of two people.


We can be the person who holds tightly to circumstances, who’s convinced of their best outcomes, who’s anxious when the outcomes aren't manifesting, who’s angry when the outcome doesn't work out, and who laments it’s all just bad, dumb luck.


Or we can be the person who holds loosely to circumstances, who admits they don’t know all favorable outcomes, who can adjust their attitude when outcomes aren't manifesting, who can see things in a different light when the outcome doesn't work out, and who confesses Someone brighter and better is looking out for their optimal outcomes.


Either choice will affect our outlook, and most likely, future outcomes.

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