As we celebrated Memorial Day this week, my 14 year old son Aleck and I talked about war, heroes, sacrifice and gratitude. The conversation made me remember a lesson Aleck brought me when he was 2 years old. It is a lesson I put in my journal and now I’m sharing with you:)
12 years ago:
I sat on the bathroom floor, my elbows on my knees, my chin in my hands, my back against the wall(in more ways than one). I was exhausted. My wife Amy was in the hospital on bed rest for 8 weeks leading up to our youngest daughter’s birth. I was giving our 2 year old twins their nightly bath one evening at home. As I watched them play, the steam coming off the bath water seemed to surround me, covering me in hopelessness. My nostrils sucked in and filled my lungs and soul with defeat each and every breath. Aleck and Emma Grace (our twins) had their favorite animals lined up on the edge of the bathtub. I smiled at them if and only if I caught their eyes meeting my own and even that seemed to exhaust my body. My thoughts drifted off. Oh how we missed Amy – and a normal life.
“Kerplunk!”…and crying began. Aleck’s favorite elephant had fallen off the side of the tub and came to rest at my feet. He started crying. I didn’t say a word. He reached for it. His feet were splashing the top of the water making a sound like a fish on a hook about to be brought into a boat. He struggled…reaching….grunting….and crying. He was so small the edge of the tub met his underarm so he couldn’t reach the floor. It wasn’t even close. I didn’t say a word. I picked up the elephant and held it out. Aleck slapped it away yelling “Nooooooooo. I can do it!” It fell back to the floor. “I can do it! I can get it!”, he cried. The struggle continued. He reached and reached. He cried and cried. Finally, I couldn’t take watching him fight for the fallen elephant anymore.
What I did next was surely what any wise father would do. Was it a talk about not giving up? A lesson in fighting hard? Learning to know when enough is enough? A “you’ll be big enough one day” motivational talk? No. I just sat…and watched. I noticed every third kick and reach, Aleck would put his head down and close his eyes while he strained and willed his arm to be 7 inches longer. So every third kick I reached to a stack of towels beside me, grabbed one and put it under the elephant. When his eyes closed, I stacked another towel…then another…and another. Before long that special little elephant had been elevated just enough to be within reach of my son’s tired wrinkly little hand. I was sure he knew what I was doing and waited for a “Thanks Daddy”. Just then Aleck held the elephant up and said “Daddy! You see that? Did you see what I can do? See what I did all by myself?” I silently stood up, walked out, and returned with my journal. I immediately wrote the lesson I had learned while Aleck and Emma Grace played happily with their animals.
So many times in our lives we fight and fight and fight. We put our heads down, close our eyes and thrash around. We think we can handle our struggles and we don’t want any help. We exhaust ourselves because of stubbornness, pride or arrogance. We reach and reach. We continue to flail and thrash and we aren’t even close. Then when we do get through our fight, struggle or dark days, who do we credit? How often do we say to the world “LOOK WHAT I CAN DO! LOOK WHAT I DID!” We’re so excited, surprised and proud. We often forget or sometimes never even noticed one important thing. GOD was stacking towels. GOD was helping us even though we put our heads down and close our eyes. And they aren’t closed to pray. Every head bowed and every eye closed…to thrash about unnecessarily – relying on ourselves over and over and over again. We don’t even realize HE is constantly and lovingly stacking towels. Even though I received no credit for helping Aleck reunite with his elephant, I would do it all over again. I would do it the exact same way…towel after towel after towel…because I love him. And though we so often forget to give GOD credit, appreciation and gratitude…He loves us. When we let life become bigger than God sending His son to die for us…He loves us. He will ALWAYS love us my friends. He NEVER leaves us. I don’t know what you may be going through in your own life. I don’t know what hardship(s) you face or what your family faces. I don’t know the thing or circumstances you can’t seem to get over. I can’t know what pain you feel day in and day out…BUT… I do know my own struggles and my own pain. And I can tell you it will be ok. We will be ok. I know we DO NOT walk alone. God tells us so.
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous hand.” – Isaiah 41:10
God is working in our lives friends. If we trust His timing, hope grows. When we remember He walks with us, we can quit the flailing, thrashing and grabbing.
“God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.” – John Piper
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9
Lastly, we must remember to give God glory. When we give God the glory for bringing the calm to our storms, we stay on the path Christ shows us. We shine a light to others as we show reliance and faith in His strength – not our own. We are to extol His faithfulness, mercy, grace, power, sovereignty and LOVE. So today, I’m just reminding myself and encouraging you to take a deep breath and simply say “Thank you GOD…Thank you for stacking towels for me.” God Bless you all!
“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”– 1 Corinthians 10:31
