Erwin Kreuz was a German tourist who, in 1977, was a passenger on a charter flight to San Francisco. The plane made a stop in Bangor, Maine, for refueling. He thought the flight had already landed in San Francisco. Adding to the confusion was a flight attendant who had told him to have “a nice time in San Francisco.”
Erwin got off the plane and spent several days enjoying the local sights of Bangor, thinking he was exploring the suburbs of San Francisco. Finally, Erwin and the locals discovered his mistake. Residents took him sightseeing and invited him into their homes. Bangor organized events in his honor, including parades. Restaurants treated him to meals and stores gave him gifts. He was given the title of “honorary citizen.” The local media covered the story, and it was even picked up by the national media. And here I am telling his story almost 50 years later.
Eventually Erwin made it to San Francisco. But he never forgot the great time he had in Bangor, Maine.
Erwin’s misadventure that turned out to be a very positive adventure, spotlights how things that go badly can turn out good. We can all list past or current situations that didn’t turn out the way we wanted. Perhaps it was, or is, the fault, or at least partly the fault, of someone else. Maybe we’re at fault ourselves, or at least to a major degree, for the wrong turn our life took. Then again, perhaps it’s just the way things happened. It could be a medical diagnosis that didn’t go the way we wanted, or an accident. We can identify other events that have put us in a place we’d rather not be.
How should we view these unfortunate events?
Here’s the thing; God saw this coming in your life and mine before He made the cosmos. He’s all-knowing. It did not catch Him by surprise. Here’s another thing; God is sovereign and has absolute control and can use everything, and I mean everything, for His ultimate purpose. And here’s one more thing; God is infinitely loving and wants ultimately what is best for us.
There are things, probably many things, we would have done differently if we were God. But we’re not God. God is God, and when we turn ourselves over to Him, He can do His good with what seems to be no good at all. Yes, life may have landed us in a Bangor, Maine, set of circumstances when we had in mind being in a San Francisco set of circumstances. But just remember Erwin Kreuz and how he ended up finding plenty of good in Bangor, Maine!
“The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand” (Psalm 37:23-24 NIV).
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