Happy Father's Day!

A son asked his father, 'Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?' The father who, despite having a heart condition, said 'Yes'.  They went on to complete the marathon together, then did other marathons, the father always saying 'Yes' to his son's request of going through the race together. One day, the son asked his father, 'Dad, let's join the Ironman together.'  To which, his father said 'Yes' .

 
For those who didn't know, Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever. The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86 kilometer) ocean swim, followed by a 112 mile (180.2 kilometer) bike ride, and ending with a 26.2 mile (42.195 kilometer) marathon along the coast of the Big Island
Father and son went on to complete the race together.   What is amazing about this story is the fact that the son is handicapped – the father pushed, pulled, and carried his son for the entire marathon.

This story makes me weep, not only because of the father’s incredible love and devotion for his son, but also because of the sheer joy on the son’s face as he shared this experience with his father.  Here's a video that tells the story: 

For me, this was also a picture of how I have viewed my own year-long weight loss marathon.  It was a long year focused on losing 126 pounds, and it was a joy to finally cross the finish line.  But I’m not the father in the video who ran, biked and swam the marathon, I am the disabled son.  When I watched the video, my tears flowed as I realized that my Heavenly Father was the one who carried me each step of the way.  On my own, I was no more able to complete this marathon than was the son in the video.  My job was to rest in my Father’s arms and allow Him to carry me.  As I saw the joy on the son’s face, I understood that his part of the marathon was to rest in his father’s arms and be willing to be taken wherever his father wanted to go.  He didn’t fight or argue, and he didn’t insist on doing it on his own, either.  He accepted the fact that he was powerless in his own strength, but by drawing on his father’s strength, he crossed the finish line.

That, simply, is my story.  It wasn’t my strength that brought me to my goal, and it's not my strength that allows me to maintain, it was and is the faithfulness of my Heavenly Father in completing this progress as I allowed myself to be carried in His arms and learned to just enjoy the ride.

On this Father’s Day, I am thankful for my own dad.  Because of his love for me and his godly character, he made it easy for me to view God as a loving Father – thanks, Dad!  I am also thankful for my husband who embraced and loved each of our three as they joined our family – I couldn’t have asked for a better father for our children.  Lastly, I'm thankful for my two wonderful son-in-laws who love my daughters and are such amazing fathers for their own children.

Have a wonderful day, and remember to choose wisely :-)