Hello to our church family from the McNutts! We miss you. We pray for you. And we look forward to being with you when it is safe for all of us!
Can you remember times in your life when you’ve looked at something with appreciation but suddenly are able to see it in a new and totally different way? That’s what happened to us recently and I’ll share it with you. Ronnie and I both think our sons are outstanding fathers. They are extremely hands on and have great relationships with their children. This story is about Darren, his daughter Hollis, and Dustin’s friend Dani.
Background: Darren has a surfing boat and one of his favorite activities is surfing the big waves with Hollis plopped right on top of his shoulders. She’s very comfortable there, sometimes smiling, sometimes making silly faces, but always is showing great trust in her father there.
Dani shared how she saw them dismount the other day and what her thoughts were about it. What she said was the “waa-laah” moment for me. It changed everything.
After surfing together a distance, Dani heard Darren ask Hollis if she was ready to stop. With her acknowledgement, he carefully lifted her off his shoulders and placed her feet along side his on the surfboard so their two sets of feet were together Dani thought of the poem, “Footprints In The Sand” which Tim Corley recently shared was one of his mother’s favorites.
Dani saw Darren look lovingly into Hollis’ eyes and with the gentlest voice he asked, “Are you ready to fall sweet girl?” She nodded yes and Darren maneuvered so the boat went on as the two of them began to slowly sink into the water. But something hit Dani hard. Hollis was falling but she was not falling alone! Her father was falling with her! Dani was moved to tears that day.
She thought this was a powerful image of what can happen when we fall and I do too. I hope I can always remember this when hard times hit in my life. Maybe it will mean something to some of you too.
With Love,
The McNutts