Fear to Faith
Hoot, hoot.... hoot, hoot....
4:32 a.m.
Time to run.
The owl on the power line puts a tingle in my spine.
A street light ebbs itself dark, as I puff my way past parked cars. The stars are best now. Brilliant beaconettes.
What a difference between man’s luminescence and God’s great work far above and always on. That’s how a father should be. Consistent. Reflecting truth. Exposing darkness.
Around the corner and up the inclined sidewalk. Faster.
And still I haven’t prayed.
God, grant me wisdom and consistency, please. You said that if anyone asks for it, you will grant it.
“But let him ask in faith, not wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he will receive anything from the Lord.”
Something blurs by the sidewalk between the shrubs. A dog?
No, a coyote hunting rabbits.
My heart pumps up, the pace doubles.
He slips into the darkness. Noiselessly.
“And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.”
God, help me to stay focused on you. To go light my world.
Then, why am I running in the darkness?
Could it be the repetition? Step after step, each footfall reassuring in its own progress. Or, it could be the Nike app reports -- faster time after faster time, leaving me...
Running out of time.
“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
That’s what a father should be: Secure but, not in himself.
“Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.” "Watching and waiting, looking above.”
Like owls. Graceful, powerful, beautiful. They never look afraid. Always searching, hunting, simply powerful, just standing in their nest.
Thank you, God, for birds. You must have known that these creatures would always flit into our view at just the right time to remind us to put our faith in you, alone.
“Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!”
God, let me care like Jesus, loving outside of myself.
Not on “my” strength. Not on “my” schedule. Not on “my” own pace.
That’s what a real father is.
Someone who gives a...
Hoot, hoot... hoot, hoot.
Time to rest.
Guy Cantwell works in Houston, TX, where he also serves as a deacon & teacher at his home church, helping other husbands and fathers invest in the spiritual growth of their families, while modeling family missions.
