If all dad's were like Dick Hoyt who pushed his son to the Boston marathon finish line despite his Cerebral Palsy

7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:7-8

I heard it this morning that Dick Hoyt, extraordinary father to Richard, died in his sleep at the age of 80.  

If you followed the Boston Marathon for any length of time you would know that Dick would push his severely disabled adult son to the finish line at the marathons he ran in.  This is a powerful image of a father's love for his child and a reminder that as parents we hold the key to our children's success  in life.

 I believe this is one of the take-away lessons learned in this great pandemic- that there is more to this life than making money, building castles and accumulating boat loads of impressive sounding titles.   I know this is true when I open up Facebook and see parents posting pictures of happy children enjoying fun activities with mom and dad. 

This pandemic has become the great awakening that teaches us the importance of spending time with our children. Life spent with our children is short and before you know it they reach their high school graduation when they pack their suitcase and head off to Freshmen orientation day for four years of study leading to their chosen professional career. 

In a blink of an eye, our kids go from riding trikes to driving cars.  As parents, we must never forget this reality.  

What Dick Hoyt did is symbolic of what our God did for us when he sent his son, Jesus, to show us the way to eternal salvation.  As a human, Dick showed unconditional love toward his son so that his son could experience the joy of victory at the finish line.

Just as Dick Hoyt was there for his son, Jesus Christ wants to be there for you when you finish the race and take your first breath in heaven.

Won't you say yes to Jesus and in your own words invite Him into your life? You will be glad you did.