A Tug at My Heart  

Posted by JimmyD

One of the problems with traveling so often for so long is that the whole process of getting on a plane and leaving for a few days has become more routine and a bit less emotional. The boy coming along, as well as the events on 9/11, have definitely added some sensitivity to the process, but overall, the process is more same stuff, different day. To some, however, it's anything but.


I caught a couple of planes today, from Minneapolis to Detroit, then Detroit to Dayton, and everything went pretty much as planned, with the exception of my colleague's miscalculation of how long it was going to take him to drive from the Detroit area to Dayton to pick me up - it a took about an hour and a half longer than expected. As result, I had some time to kill in the Dayton airport.

After a bite to eat, I needed to use the rest room which was located just to the left of the security check point. Coming around the corner towards the rest room, it was hard not to notice a beautiful red haired girl, about 5 or 6 years old, standing next to her mom behind the security ropes, crying her eyes out. As I walked just a bit further, the reason for her sadness and grief was obvious. Shedding metal objects and shoes in the security line was her dad, dressed in camo fatigues and about to leave his family behind to go where his country was calling him to go.

It was truly heartbreaking. He motioned for her to come up closer so that he could comfort her before finally making his way through the metal detectors, but you know no matter what he would say, the only way to ease her pain was for him to stay with her and not leave. The only change after coming out of the rest rooms was their proximity to each other, with mom and daughter standing back away from the line while dad was just about to move through the detectors.

As I walked by them, I couldn't help but tear up myself and offer what little condolence I could by saying "God Bless Ya'll," which in turn yielded a "Thank you" from the mom, but I knew it didn't really matter much at that time. It was so sad.

So often we pray for the men and women in uniform and the sacrifice they make for the safety and freedom they supply to us, and rightfully so, but we sometimes forget the sacrifice that the family at home has to make, in particular for the children. One didn't need to know where the dad was headed or for how long he would be gone, only that it was too far away and for too long if he was leaving at all.

No matter where I travel to and for long I'm gone, it's a pretty good bet that I will be returning from my trip. It's possible that this pretty young lady could not be so sure for her dad. Depending on where he was headed, this could likely have been their last visit for a year or so, or more. The little red head knew the situation, and the possible risk involved. This painful truth was all too obvious to understand.

My prayer tonight is that those who read this blog would say a prayer of their own for this little girl's family, along with all other families who have made and are making the sacrifice of their parents so that we as US citizens may enjoy the liberties and freedoms they protect, with little or no return of their own. May God bless this family and give the mom and daughter a pillar strength to hold on to while their dad is off serving this great country. An may we never forget the sacrifice that they have to make so that we can enjoy the liberty and freedom they provide us. Amen.

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Faith of a Child  

Posted by JimmyD

Our Men’s Ministry kicked off the Truth Project yesterday, taking the first tour of the program which basically asks the question “What is Truth?” That’s a great question, but even better were the wide array of answers to it by quite a diverse group of people. Can’t wait for next week when we look at the Worldview of Philosophy.

One of the most moving parts of the program yesterday was a discussion around the need of having faith like a child. A video was shown of a young boy, probably 4 or 5 years old, walking up to the edge of a diving board. You could see in his expression and actions that he was scared to jump off of the board into the pool, but in the pool was his mother, standing firm with open arms ready to catch him. As much as his fear was telling him not to jump, his faith in his mother catching him was greater, as proven when he jumps in the pool and is caught by his mother.

This video really hit home, me with a 3 year old son at home. As independent as he is at 3, he is still almost totally dependant on his mother and me to take care of him and protect him. Hopefully, his faith in us is strong and it will remain so until he can rely more and more on himself. Even after he’s grown, I hope his faith in us remains.

Those of you who keep up with us on Facebook and Twitter may recall an incident a couple of months ago where Sammy and I took a tumble at Burger King after I stepped into a hole and sprung my ankle while carrying him. My first concern was whether he was hurt or not, but a not so distant second concern of mine was whether his faith in me protecting him would still be in tact. I felt like I had let him down by dropping him.

Fortunately, at least not noticeably, his faith was not shaken in me. He still trusts me to catch him when he jumps off of the bed, or the slide, or anything and everything he jumps off of. This is quite comforting to me, and hopefully to him too. Faith in our parents to protect us as children helps us to take some risk and come out of comfort zones in order to experience new things – it’s very important.

The video also hit me from a different angle, the one it was supposed to hit me from. My faith in God is likely not where it is supposed to be. As much as I believe in God and that Jesus is my Lord and Savior, I find myself not having the same type of faith in Him as a child has in their parents, at least not all of the time.

It is pretty common for us to fear those things we have no control over. It wasn’t long ago I wrote a blog about my fears of flying, in particular with turbulence in the air. However, shouldn’t my faith in God, if it were the same as a child’s faith, make me trust this to Him? Why do I still fear this?

Obviously, my faith needs more reinforcement, but I think this is a common issue with Christians, that’s why we continue to study the Bible and try to draw closer to God. That’s also why I’m going to church every Saturday morning and taking the tours through the Truth Project – I want to come closer to the Truth.

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