Exemplar Coaching

Live by Design, Not by Default.

CoffeeChat 62 – Waiting Too Long

Edition  62

Waiting too long

Last Edition Recap
How have you applied the last edition to your life?
Opening Prayer
God, You’re calling us; let us hear You and let us not miss You. Amen.
Introduction
I was sitting in a coffee shop in an airport when I heard repeated announcements: “This is the first call for passenger…” then second, third, final. A woman suddenly jumped up: “Oh, my flight is boarding!” She rushed from the coffee shop to security while everyone watched through the viewing window. The aircraft had already started final preparations. The staircase was rolling away when she appeared, running to the plane.
The climax came as she stood before the nose of the airplane, passionately signalling the pilots to let her board. Animated hand signals were exchanged. The ground crew stood ready to help if the captain ordered it. Then finally, the captain raised his left arm, pointed to his watch, waved goodbye, and started moving the plane for takeoff. The woman missed her flight.
Why didn’t the captain let her board? Whose fault was it? The announcements were clear—first call, second call, third call, final call. She heard them all but waited too long. The departure time wasn’t negotiable. The schedule wasn’t personal. The plane wouldn’t wait because she wasn’t ready.
Your first call from God can be heard loudly in the cross of Christ. But how many calls have you ignored? How many announcements have you heard while sitting comfortably in your coffee shop of complacency? God calls repeatedly—through Scripture, through circumstances, through conscience, through community. First call. Second call. Third call. What if tomorrow is the final call? What if tomorrow is too late?
Chat Point 1
  1. Have you ever waited for a flight, bus, or train—why did you wait for it?
  2. What happens if you’re late for the departure?
  3. In the airport story, why didn’t the captain let the woman onto the flight?
  4. Whose fault was it that she missed the flight?
  5. What prevented her from responding to the earlier calls?
Read
Joel 2:1-17, Jude 1:1-23
Key Focus
Jude 1:20-21 – “But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.”
Chat Point 2
  1. Imagine the woman missing her flight as a spiritual metaphor—what does it teach about God, humanity, eternal life?
  2. What does the flight symbolise, and who does the Captain represent?
  3. Why do you think we’re constantly being called to come back to God?
  4. Reflect on times when you felt God calling you—how did it happen?
  5. Why do we delay in answering God’s call?
Final Thought
Joel sounds the alarm: “Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill.” The day of the Lord is coming—it is close at hand. Not might come. Is coming. Not far away. Close at hand. Joel calls for immediate response: “Return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Not tomorrow. Not after you’ve sorted your life out. Now.
Jude echoes the urgency while providing the method: build yourselves up in holy faith, pray in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love, wait for Christ’s mercy. Notice—active verbs. Build. Pray. Keep. Wait. Not passive hoping but active preparation. You don’t accidentally catch a flight; you purposefully prepare, arrive early, listen for announcements, respond to calls.
The woman at the airport teaches us what spiritual procrastination looks like. She heard every call but assumed she had more time. She knew the flight was boarding but finished her coffee first. She understood the urgency but moved too slowly. When she finally responded, the door was closed. Her passionate pleas couldn’t reopen it. Her desperate signals couldn’t turn the plane around. The captain’s schedule wasn’t subject to her timing.
God’s patience is extraordinary but don’t take it for granted. His calls are persistent but don’t ignore them. “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” Today. Not tomorrow. Not when convenient. Today. The cross of Christ is your first call. His resurrection is your boarding announcement. His return is the final departure. What’s stopping you from responding? How many calls have you missed? Do you want to miss the flight of salvation?
My Action
What key insight or learning from this session resonates most with me, and what do I sense God is inviting me to do in response?
Shared Prayer
What are your prayer requests?​
Closing Prayer
Loving Lord, please don’t stop calling us. Amen.
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In-Between Chats: Personal Reflection
  1. What is stopping you from responding to the call of God right now?
  2. How many of God’s calls have you missed whilst waiting for a “better time”?
  3. Do you want to risk missing the “flight of salvation” by waiting too long?
Edition Writer: Rev Kevin Zondagh

Methodist Minister, Personal Development Specialist, Life Coach, Relationship Coach and Executive Coach. Founder and Owner of Exemplar Coaching Pty Ltd and CoffeeChatConnect. "We should have the desire to custom design the only life we have. After-all, we buy designer everything. How much more should we Live by Design, not by default?"