The Parable of Prolonged Transit: When Delay Becomes Revelation

Writing Parables in Transit

As I continue my studies in Practical Theology, one of the most important courses I have registered for this semester is Preaching and Proclamation. As stated in the syllabus, parable writing is a compulsory weekly practice that involves short stories that reveal deeper truths through everyday experiences.

Because I was travelling from the Netherlands back to the United States, I missed the first week of class. What seemed like a setback turned out to be my first real assignment. The journey that kept me away from the classroom became my classroom.

This reflection fits well within Practical Theology in Motion, because I have learned that theology is not limited to lecture halls. It happens in movements, in airports, in waiting areas, in times of transition, and in small moments of grace.

A Journey Across Borders and Within

On February 4 and 5, 2025, I started my journey back to the United States after spending valuable and joyful time with my family in the Netherlands. Over two days, I travelled through three countries. By rail, I left Enschede in the Netherlands, passed through Düsseldorf in Germany and Madrid-Barajas in Spain, landed in Charlotte, USA, and then continued to Atlanta.

Based on my booking search for a more affordable fare, I was fully aware that my itinerary included a 10-hour layover. I had prepared myself mentally for what I assumed would be a prolonged and exhausting wait. Yet what I anticipated as a mere inconvenience unfolded into a subtle yet profound theological encounter, an unexpected moment in which delay became revelation.

Airports are in-between places. They are not quite departure or arrival. They are places of waiting and change, similar to the wilderness stories in Scripture where growth often comes before fulfilment (Deuteronomy 8:2).

At one stop, I learned I would have to wait ten hours for my next flight home. After a long journey by road and air, I got ready for what seemed like an unavoidable delay. I found a seat, set down my luggage, and prepared myself to wait.

Yet there came a quiet inner prompting: Inquire.

With modest expectation, I approached the flight attendant and asked whether an earlier connection might be possible. She checked the system, paused, looked up with a gentle smile, and responded:

“You can proceed now.”

In that short moment, what I thought would be a burden turned out to be an unexpected gift.

The Parable

The kingdom of God is like a traveller on a long journey across many countries.
Weary from road, rail and air, he arrives at a transit airport and learns that he must wait ten hours before his final flight home. Accepting the delay, he settles with his luggage. Yet, moved by a quiet inner prompting, he inquires whether an earlier connection might be available. The attendant checks, smiles, and says, “You may proceed now.”
What he expected to be a burden becomes an unexpected moment of grace.

Theological Reflection: Grace in the In-Between

This experience became my first lesson in preaching and proclamation.

Practical Theology encourages us to see our experiences through the lens of Scripture. In that airport, I noticed several biblical truths come to life.

1. Waiting Is Not Wasted

Scripture reminds us:

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31).

Waiting is not just giving up; it is choosing to trust. The ten-hour delay I expected reminded me that times of waiting often come before renewal.

2. Ask, Seek, Knock

The gentle prompting to inquire echoed the words of Christ:

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7).

Grace is a gift, but our actions still matter. Sometimes, asking one question can make all the difference.

3. God Orders Our Steps

Moving from delay to progress reminded me that our journeys are not random:

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord” (Psalm 37:23).

Even airport gates can be part of God’s plan.

4. God Works Within Delays

What I saw as an inconvenience became a blessing, showing the truth of Romans 8:28:

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.”

The Kingdom often shows itself not by removing obstacles, but by changing how we see them.

Missing a Week, Gaining a Witness

Even though I missed the first week of class, I did not miss the lesson. The journey itself taught me.

Preaching and proclamation are not limited to the pulpit. It is about learning to hear God’s voice in movement, interruptions, tiredness, and moments of favour. My travel delay became a real-life parable, showing Hebrews 11:1, where faith is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

How often do we treat life’s long waits as the end of the story? How many times do we give in to discouragement, forgetting that a gentle nudge might be a sign of something more?

Maybe the Kingdom of God is like a transit lounge, where tired people find new strength, those who wait find favour, and those who ask see doors open.

And so, the journey goes on, across countries, across fields of study, and through both seen and unseen changes.

For Practical Theology is never static.

It lives, breathes, and grows as we move.

Also Read: The Seat I Refused to Change — and the Lesson That Changed My Life

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Ayodele John Alonge
Friday 15th September, 2026, 08:00am (EST)
CTS, 701 S Columbia, Decatur, Georgia