 |
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. Father and son went on to join
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
us join the Ironman together; to which his
father said, "Yes", too.
For those who don't know, Ironman is the
toughest triathlon ever. The race consists of
three endurance events of a 2.4 miles (3.86
kilometers) ocean swim followed by a 112
miles (180.2 kilometers) bike ride and ending
with a 26.2 miles (42.195 kilometers)
marathon along the coast of the Big Island.
Father and son went on to complete the race
together.
Based on the TV interview of Dick and Rick
Hoyt, Dick, the father explained that Rick
while still in his mother's womb, the
umbilical chord was wrapped around his neck
cutting off oxygen to the brain.
And when Rick was born, the doctor who was
looking after Rick told Dick and his wife
that Rick would never be able to walk nor
talk all his life that it would be best that
they put him away. But the Hoyts would not be
willing to do such a thing and decided to
bring him home instead and decided likewise
to treat him just like anyone normal kid. So
that when the family went for a swim, Rick
went with them and so on and so forth.
It was one day while wathing TV (if my memory
serves me right) that Rick saw a benefit
marathon for a paralityc child and he wanted
to be a part of the benefit marathon. And
that started both father and son with their
races even while Dick had a heart condition
and Rick himself was not well all the time.
In fact there were two years where they were
not able to join the races because Dick had a
heart attack and the other year was that (if
I remember it correctly now, Rick was the one
who had a problem.
And also based on an article that I read
about them, both had so far completed 212
triathlons, 4 15-hour Inronmans. And that it
was two years back from today, when Dick had
his heart attack, and his doctor said, had it
not been his good physical condition on
account of the races, he would have died 15
years ago.
Both then via the races have served one
another in a loving and wonderful way.
Dick humbly said in the interview when he was
called a hero by the interviewer, "I just
simply love my family".
And indeed, he loved them even as he loved
Rick that much that he committed himself to
do the tough physical demands of the races
and the triathlons, the Ironman that his son
may have the chance to enjoy the races and be
a part of life. And in a return show of love
and appreciation, Rick says this of his
father, "Dad is my hero."
And to end my inputs on the father and son,
I'd like to end what Rick says that he likes
most...(Rick types using a special machine),
he says, "The thing I most like is my dad sit
in the chair and I push him once."
How touching!
______________________
My personal take from the video is that it
enriched me greatly in terms of better
understanding and appreciation of the love of
God for me and you - a love so great and
infinitely amazing and unmatched compared to
the great and amazing love of the father in
the video for his son.
If we could only plainly and in human terms
ask God, the Lord Jesus Christ how much He
loves us - He who came in the flesh to be
mocked, spat upon, punched in the face,
bruised with spiked whip, stripped naked to
be utterly humiliated by His beloved creation
- man, and then subjected to the most
excruciating death of all- death by
cruzifixtion of the cross in order that by
taking His death and blood as the payment for
our sins, we may escape the second death
which is hell, the lake that burns with fire
and brimstone (fire never quenched and all
the senses intact and the body is never
consumed unto eternity)and that we might live
unto eternity with Him in heaven.......
perhaps He would answer us in this way
....this much, He would say, "First He would
look at us directly in the eye as He would
spread HIs hands to the sides horizontal to
the ground and as we see His nail- pierced
hands, He bows his head (meaning, dead on the
cross by cruzifixtion). And maybe, all of us
would kneel before His feet, with a return
show of love and appreciation for what He has
done, in chorus we would say, "Oh Lord and my
God!"
Praise God for His amazing love for all of
us. May all who have the chance to view the
video even all of mankind who would not be
able to see the video, may in some way find
themselves thru other means, find a better
understanding of the depth, height, width and
length of the beauty and wonder of God's love
for all of us, the righteous and unrighteous
even the fullest appreciation of such amazing
love and appropriation of it.
All glory to God in the highest!
Tags : amazing love father's greatest gift agape unconditional God's true story of between father and son most touching moving dick rick hoyt |
