Super skier

Breezie and I came across this fellow on one of our wanderings, and I have to tell you, I have never met a more determined man in my life.

He’s got the rope in both hands. He’s got his ski pointed in the right direction. He’s even got his life jacket on, so you know he’s a safety-first kind of guy. There’s just one small detail standing between him and the ride of his life. The lake dried up a few thousand years ago.

Nobody told him. Or maybe somebody did, and he just didn’t care to listen.

He’s working with one leg, and I don’t believe that hair has seen a comb since Tide was a pup. But look at him leaning into that rope. That is not a man who’s worried about anything. School can keep or not keep. The boat can show up or not show up. He’s going water skiing today, and that’s the end of the discussion.

Now, most of us have quit over a whole lot less. We’ve given up on the diet because of one donut. We’ve given up on the garden because the tomatoes came in the size of golf balls. We’ve given up on people, on dreams, and on ourselves, all because the water wasn’t where we wanted it, when we wanted it.

Not this guy. He’s holding on.

I think the Creator put a little of him in every one of us. That part of you that gets up in the morning when the odds say stay in bed. That part that keeps praying, keeps hoping, and keeps showing up even when the lake looks bone dry. Faith isn’t waiting until you see the water. Faith is grabbing the rope first.

So if your life feels like a dry lake bed right now, take a lesson from my one-legged friend. Get your ski ready. Buckle up. Lean in.

Because one of these days, the water is coming. And when it does, I know at least one fellow who’ll be ready to ride.

Hang on to your rope, friends.

Love, Finius