“When you pass through rough waters, I’ll be with you."
~ Isaiah 43:2
Today had been one of those days. A series of frustrations left Allen secretly considering
. . . escaping to Australia.
A single Dad of twin teenagers, Allen left the office
discouraged, only to arrive home in time for “Second Shift” parenting duties –
fixing dinner, helping with homework, mentoring adolescents. Then he got a text from his boss asking for
help on the Palmer file. Ugh!
He sat with a newspaper on the back porch in a quiet moment
as darkness fell. Frogs chirped in the
distance – Allen wondered how big the frogs were in Australia.
An NYT’s article immediately caught his eye: “Super Dad.”
“Fathers give their kids piggyback rides all the time, but never like
this. A Chinese man named Yu Xukang
gives his son a ride every morning. Xukang’s
son, Xiao Qiang (meaning “Little Strong”), is disabled. His back and limbs are severely twisted;
riding in a bamboo basket is the only way he can get to school.
The boy’s mother left nine years ago when Qiang was only three. Xukang promised that his son wouldn’t suffer
being raised by a single parent. So he
wakes daily at 5 a.m., prepares a lunch for Qiang, and the pair begin their
4.5-mile trek to school. Then, Xukang walks
back home so that he can work in the fields. The devoted Dad returns each day to carry his
boy back home.
That’s nearly 1,600 miles and (three pairs of new shoes) since the
school year began. "We’ve never been
late," Xukang said proudly.
"There’s nothing wrong with Qiang’s mind," he continued. "That was the only school that would
accept him. Someday he will go to
college."
But for now, Xukang is content spending six hours per day traveling
back and forth because it’s the only way, because education is
important, and because as a single Dad, his devotion to his son is one of the
strongest natural forces on earth.”
Damn, Allen thought.
I’m exhausted at the end of the day, even while driving my girls
to and from wherever they need to be. Xukang
walks over a dozen miles and still has to come home and do all the things I
have to do.
Here I sit, overwhelmed, bracing from the storm of doubts in
my own life. I forgot who’s in the boat
with me. I forgot who chose the path,
charted the course, and put me on this journey.
God never said I wouldn’t face fierce storms. He never said I wouldn’t face struggles,
challenges, and trials. But . . . He
did promise to stay in the boat with me.
Lord of life, You calm my waves, temper my
winds, stills my storms. I may be soaked, but I’m not sunk. Forgive me for failing to trust in You. I’ve been chosen and called. Remind me whose in the boat with me. Amen
