What's Your Story: Have you ever had a "slow motion moment" in your life? That time in your life when time seemed to slow to a crawl and in your memory of that moment you still see it in slow motion? The "slow motion moment" in my life took place in the upper peninsula of Michigan during the month of December some time in the late 80s. It was a bright sunshiny day with a blanket of snow covering the ground. In my memory, it was a very quiet, peaceful day. It was cold but not anything like the bitter cold temperatures that the U.P. can have during the winter months. Our family was out in the middle of nowhere ready to venture out into the woods on a cross country skiing expedition. It seemed to be the perfect day for it. We were all out of the car, getting ready to go and then it happened...that "slow motion moment".
My sister's hand reached out and grabbed the handle to the van door. With a gentle tug, the sliding door began to slide shut. A fraction of a second later, in the quiet of the winter woods, a sound was heard coming from my dad, "NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!" Between that sound and the door closing shut, the "slow motion moment" came to a screeching halt. We all seemed to stand in silence, as if time stood still, just staring at the door as we all realized what had just happened. We were stranded in the middle of nowhere in the upper peninsula of Michigan and the keys were locked in the van.
At the time, survival seemed impossible. Would we freeze to death? Would we be eaten by the wild carnivores that lived in this part of the state? Would we now find out that Big Foot does exist? If we made it out alive, how much trouble would my sister be in? These thoughts swirled around in my head as we checked and rechecked all the doors to make sure we were actually locked out. As I contemplated on these last thoughts of my life, my dad was down on the ground and attempting to go under the van. At first I thought he was hiding from the wild animals, looking forward to a tasty meal, but then he was getting back up with something in his hand. Inside the magnetic box that he held in his hand was a spare key to the van. We were saved!
I have no recollection of whether or not we even went skiing on that day, but I remember that short period of time, thankful for that hide-a-key. That "slow motion moment" always makes me double check for the keys in my pocket whenever I exit my car.
As we celebrate Father's Day this weekend, we are thankful for the gift of fatherhood. We are thankful for our dads, grandfathers, and the generations of men whom God has blessed. We are especially thankful for our Christian fathers who teach their children about our Father in heaven who loved us enough to send His one and only Son to live a perfect life, die a horrible death, and was raised victoriously from the dead so that we too may also live forever with Him in heaven. On this Father's Day, we give thanks to God for our fathers who do those heroic things, like put a hide-a-key under the van just in case the keys get locked in the car. Even more importantly, we give thanks that our heavenly Father has given our earthly fathers and us, the promise of the forgiveness of sins and life eternal with Him forever! May God continue to bless your family during these summer months as you remain focused on Christ our Cornerstone.
