A little persistence means everything

As the morning service at the small church concluded it was a tale of two congregations. Half the parishioners stood around talking with others, seemingly not wanting their worship experience to end. The other half were unable to get to the local restaurant fast enough, in an apparent race with neighboring church members for Sunday lunch supremacy, and bragging rights. I watched, honestly, somewhere in between the two, as I made my way through the pastorial greeting line.

As I slowly progressed towards the inner door, my attention shifted to my right. As I looked, I recognized the little boy my youngest daughter has taken a liking to over the past two years. The young boy strategically weaved his way around adult parishioners, making his way to the entry door, then disappeared out of sight behind the giants between he and I.

Being a staunch believer in daughters not dating until they are at least 30 years old or so, my commitment to that cause was shaken and bent a bit when my little 7-year-old angel arrived home one day filled with glee over the exciting news she prepared to share with us. As you know by now, little Riy is happy in her own skin and isn’t the most popular child at the schoolhouse. This is mainly because she does her own thing and really has no interest in conforming to the norm. So, when a little guy approached her and shared his intention of making her his girlfriend, if she would have him, she gladly accepted.

The next two years would be a series of ups and even higher ups for the two young children. For dad...well, I would admit it’s been fun watching the children interact knowing that early elementary love is for the most part harmless. Nevertheless, I must fulfill my fatherly duty and remain watchful, flashing the proverbial “I’m watching you” sign whenever the situation warrants.

As I made my way to the church door, I caught sight of the young boy once again. With lightning speed, the boy sprung from his position next to the outside wall, weaving in between more barriers in the form of adults, standing with out-stretched arms in front of my family. Thinking for a moment the boy had lost his mind, I felt a slight breeze to my right, as my daughter moved in front of me. Without hesitation, my humble little girl sprung towards the boy, grasping him. As the two partook in the momentary perfectness of a hug, my mind had a difficult time computing what just unfolded in front of my eyes. As quickly as the hug commenced it ended. Both children said their goodbyes and good old dad began regaining his bearings. Who would have thought this little man was so brazen in his feelings.

Although pure in its intent, the boy’s hug symbolized so much more to me. So often we are confronted by barriers to our success and proverbial debris along our paths in life. Maybe it’s the loss of someone we truly cared about, maybe a job, maybe the loneliness of single parenthood. Possibly the terrain just seems so hard to traverse as we attempt to reach our goals. Regardless we must remain committed to push on, weaving through the barriers we face, centering on the prize at the end of the journey. Like this child, he cared little about the distance and the barriers before him. Caring only about the end game...the hug he would get from the girl he loved. Master the art of conquering the obstacles my friends. For when we do, what we find on the other end will be our prize.

Richard J. Stephens lives in Carter County and is the father of three little ladies ranging in age from 9 to 29.