“Daddy, Timmy’s Crying!”

When I was a child, our family would take a summer vacation on beautiful inland lakes in Michigan, United States of America. My father was an avid fisherman. My brothers and I were eager to help him, and we could not wait to swim.

I loved hanging out on the dock near the daddy I adored as he baited his hook, cast his line, and patiently waited for the first hungry fish to take a nibble.

Our excitement was great when he snagged a fish.

With a little more time and effort, there might be enough fish for supper. I was seven years old, the eldest child, and the only girl with three younger brothers. One lovely morning I went to the dock with Daddy and Timmy, my two-year-old brother.

Under the azure-blue sky, the sun sparkled like jewels on the clear water. It was the perfect day for an outdoor adventure. I walked up and down the dock and played in the shallow water with Timmy while Daddy fished. I looked in Dad’s tackle box and admired his patience as he waited for an unsuspecting fish to hit the line. In my childish curiosity and intrigue, I lost track of Timmy. When I finally turned to look for him, I could not see him anywhere. I searched the dock again and then glanced down. There was Timmy, sitting on the sand, completely under the water, and he was crying soundlessly! I called out, “Daddy, Timmy’s crying, and he’s under the water!” Evidently, Timmy had silently climbed off the dock, and there he sat, in need of rescue. I did not know what to do, but our daddy did. He lifted Timmy out of the water and held him close. “You’re OK. You are safe now, and I will stay right with you,” he comforted.

Sometimes I find myself in deep water. I do not know how I got into this mess, and I seem to be having a difficult time finding my way out. I do not know how to save myself from myself or the dangers of this world. But just as little Timmy had a father who loved and rescued him, I have a heavenly Father who watches over me. No matter what I have done, I know I can cry out to Him, trusting He will never leave me. He will always be by my side.

Will you join me and call out to Him today?

Carolyn J. H. Strzyzykowski