Lost

Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.

Corona virus is stirring emotions within individuals all over the world.  Many are fearful, uncertain, confused and lost.  It is my prayer that the words on this page will remind you that we serve a loving and faithful Heavenly Father.  You may feel lost right now, but He has already found you.  In this time of “social distancing” let Him wrap his arms around you.  Accept His help!  Jesus came to this world to willingly sacrifice himself to save YOU! Take this time to get to know your Savior deeply! Let His presence in your life and His unconditional love provide the peace you need, in this very moment. 

When I was 6 years old, my father informed me one evening to get a good night’s sleep because instead of going to school the next day, we were going to spend the day fishing in the everglades.  I was so excited!  Dad worked a lot and the notion of getting to spend that day together, just he and I, was like Heaven to me. When you have lived half a century, you realize there are certain moments in your life, considered “defining moments”.  I had no idea what lied ahead of me that next day. I just knew I was ecstatic at the thought of all that exclusive time with my father.

I should probably give you some background on my Dad.  Most kids refer to time with their parents as, “memories” or even “experiences”. This is true when I consider some of the defining moments over the past 52 years of my life, when referring to my Mom. However, “memories” does not quite cut it when discussing the defining moments with my Dad.  We, his family members, refer to these moments as “incidents”.  People wonder why I am a bit anxious by nature.  I do not think my anxiety comes from nature, but rather a Dad who told us from the time we could understand that “danger” was his middle name.  When I look back on the “incidents” we experienced because of who my Dad was, I realize he came by that self-initiated middle name honestly. Grady “Danger” Beall was my Dad. I am happy, yet perplexed, to say I have actually survived a variety of so called “incidents” to share some of them.  We will refer to our Daddy/Daughter day together as the “Everglades Incident”.

It was a beautiful morning. That, I remember, because the one thing that may have kept us from our day was bad weather. We put the boat in at our normal Everglades boat launch area and off we went and went and went.  Dad finally found the perfect place to put our rods in and there I was, alone with my hero.  We talked, we laughed and before we knew it, the sun was setting.  I can remember feeling sad; I wanted that day to last forever.  But when Dad said, “Sugy, we better get home so Mom doesn’t worry.” I reluctantly agreed.  Dad started the engine. Well, Dad tried to start the engine. After a few tries, Dad said, “Sugy, we might be out of gas”.  In case you were wondering, this is where the “memory” turns into the “incident”. 

We were out in the middle of the everglades, much further away than I think even Dad originally anticipated us being.  There was no one in sight for literally miles.  It was dusk now, and for the very first time in my 6 years of being Grady Beall’s daughter, I saw fear in his eyes. Yes, Mr. Danger was scared. Dad decided we would do better to get out of the boat that was floating in alligator infested water. We docked the boat, leaving everything inside, and Dad calmly said, “Sugy, get on my shoulders”.  He carried me on his shoulders, up an embankment, and on to a small pathway through the swamp.   It seemed like we had been walking forever, on this little tiny path about 2 feet wide. There was swamp and tall sawgrass on both sides of the path we were on.  Once the sun went down completely, it was pitch black.  Dad had his lighter, and every so often he would light up the path so he could see a few yards ahead.  Each time he did this, he told me to NOT look down.  Years later I found out why he gave me those instructions. Gators eyes glow in the dark and Dad saw many glowing eyes as he walked that night.  He was certain that seeing those gator’s glowing eyes would spook me, he was right! He also mentioned that this area was where he caught snakes as a teenager of all different sizes and types for the Miami Sepentarium, (my grandmother had some really interesting “snake incident” stories to share from Dad’s teenhood).  The woman was truly a saint, but I digress.  

We were lost in the everglades. Thankfully, Dad knew his way, he had walked that path before.  On this night he carried me on his shoulders the whole way. I remember him stopping and taking me off his shoulders and carrying me in his arms, never letting my feet touch the ground.  It was during those breaks he spoke to me, probably made some jokes, and rested what were probably very fatigued and sore shoulders.  After walking for literally hours, we heard the roar of an airboat. As the boat approached with its searchlight spotted us and pulled up to the edge of the embankment.  My father handed me to the airboat captain who asked my name and how old I was.  I was not allowed to talk to strangers, so I did not answer at first.  Dad said, “Sugy, if you want this man to save us you need to tell him your name”.  I realize now, we were the only father and daughter missing in the everglades at close to midnight needing to be saved, and so the man knew exactly who we were. Needless to say, when Dad told me to do something, I did it. So I answered, “My name is Christi Lyn Beall and I am 6 years old”.  Then, pointing at Dad, he asked, “and who is this man”?  I looked up at my smiling and very brave father and answered confidently, “he is my Daddy”. I knew the predicament we had found ourselves in was dangerous, but who better to experience an incident like this with than my father, my hero, my protector? He was, after all, the only person I ever knew whose middle name was “danger”!  

We found out a little later that my Mom had come to our launching area looking for us when we were not home by dinnertime. Mom saw our car and boat trailer and noticed an airboat association meeting going on across the street and told them about the situation. They immediately adjourned their meeting and several of them set out to find us. We were found!

The airboat was loud, and Dad sat me on his lap and covered my ears.  It was a long ride, but Dad was holding me, and I felt such relief knowing I would see my Mom again soon.  Dad and I went through a storm together. Even with all that was going on around us, he managed to keep me calm and ultimately protected me from the elements. He knew the everglades like the back of his hand – he had navigated that path before and knew where to take me and what areas to avoid. I felt weary, but truly my Father carried me the entire way.  I was lost, scared, tired, hungry, and thirsty. However, even in the most dangerous of situations, my father calmed his child.  He told me later he knew Mom would send help, he was just concerned about my safety while we waited. When we got back to the airboat association meeting, we were met with a celebration. We received a standing ovation and with, what felt like, a ticker tape parade. They gave me some water and a donut. That was, and still is the best donut I have ever had.  

God is our Heavenly Father! We are going to face difficulties in this life.  We are going to have hardships, feelings of uncertainly and loneliness. We are going to go through storms and at times feel afraid. We may be surrounded by situations we cannot control, but our Heavenly Father still offers us His peace in the storms that we endure and promises to never leave or forsake us. Our Heavenly Father will carry us through every trial of this life. He knows what is around the corner and we can trust Him and His omniscience. We may not be able to avoid tough times, but we are reminded time and time again, we are never alone in our circumstances.  He sent His Son, His only Son, to save us, so we can experience an eternity in Heaven with Him.  Just as Dad and I were celebrated when we were found, Heaven rejoices every time someone accepts the salvation Jesus offers to us. We will not need a ticker tape parade, for we will see our Savior face to face! 

Can you think back on a difficult time when you realize your Heavenly Father was with you? 

If our Heavenly Father is faithful and never leaves or forsakes us, how is it we have such a difficult time trusting Him with our future dilemmas? 

Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.