The Stupid Elevator

I have been traveling the last couple of weeks and ended my trip this past week in West Palm Beach, near Mar-a-Lago. After checking into the hotel, I went up to my room. Later that evening, as I was lying in bed, I realized I had been placed in the worst room in the hotel. The head of my bed was right next to the wall by the elevator, which turned out to be the LOUDEST elevator I’ve ever encountered. I lay there, exhausted but unable to sleep, as the loud rumble of the elevator echoed every few minutes.

I messaged the front desk to let them know about the issue, but they informed me that no other rooms were available—the hotel was booked solid for the night. Ugh.

I tried to read and keep myself from getting too frustrated, attempting to control my thoughts and not let annoyance take over. I wish I could tell you that I found peace with the situation, but part of me couldn’t help feeling like this was some sort of personal attack. Isn't it funny how, in moments of aggravation, we sometimes act as if the whole world is out to get us? (Side note: This isn’t to say businesses shouldn’t be held accountable for their shortcomings, but I had the choice to put things into perspective in that moment.)

Eventually, I drifted off to sleep around 11 p.m., when the elevator traffic finally slowed down.

At 5:15 a.m., I woke up suddenly but wasn’t sure why—until I heard the rumble of the elevator again. Since I couldn’t fall back asleep, I decided to get up and go for a run.

The day passed by in a blur. It was fun but exhausting, especially after waking up so early. That evening, we attended an event at Mar-a-Lago and stayed out until about midnight. Knowing I had an early flight the next morning, I returned to the hotel and scheduled an Uber for 5:25 a.m. I packed everything in advance, so I could wake up, grab my suitcase, and head out without delay. I even set two alarms—one for 4:45 and one for 5:00—because I was worried that, with the room-darkening curtains and my exhaustion, I might oversleep.

I lay there once again, hearing the occasional rumble of the elevator, trying to not grumble myself, until I finally drifted off to sleep.

At some point during the night, I woke up in total darkness. Since worrying about missing flights often makes me sleep more restlessly when I travel, I instinctively reached for my phone to check the time, hoping I still had a few hours left to sleep.

IT WAS 5:24 A.M.

I leapt out of bed and saw that I had two missed messages from the Uber driver, who was already waiting downstairs. I threw on my clothes, stuffed the rest of my toiletries into my suitcase, and rushed to the elevator.

As I rode the elevator down, I glanced at my phone to see what had gone wrong with my alarms. That’s when I noticed my mistake: PM not AM!!!! 

4:45 PM and 5:00 PM.

I had set both alarms for the wrong time! I would have missed my flight if I hadn’t woken up just in time.

As I got into the elevator, and it rumbled on its way down, I realized something. The same elevator that had annoyed me so much—the thing I thought was working against me—was the very thing that woke me up just in time. The irritation I felt toward the elevator sounds the night before had, in the end, saved me from missing my flight.

This experience reminded me of something God has been teaching me repeatedly over the past few months: Hard things in life don't necessarily mean bad things. The moments when we feel "picked on" might actually be moments when God is saying, "I picked you."

Life isn’t promised to be easy or perfect, but God promises to be good in the midst of it all. Sometimes, He allows difficult circumstances because He knows what's around the corner. He knows exactly what situations we need to live through to grow into the people He can use. Just as He positioned me by a noisy elevator so I wouldn’t miss my flight, He can use ANY challenges we face to create some of the greatest stories of His faithfulness.   

What is something hard in your life that God is using to point people to Him?  I would love to hear your stories!