Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
RYAN - AGE 11
U nable to sleep a wink more as excitement for the trip to Idaho to purchase fireworks for the Fourth of July had finally arrived, Ryan pushed the covers off and scampered out to the kitchen.
As he walked into the kitchen, he caught sight of his father Frank sitting at the table with his Bible open and his cup of coffee in his hand.
Upon noticing Ryan, Frank lifted his gaze and cracked a smile.
“Hey, Sonny. You’re up early.”
Smiling, he came over and gave his dad a hug. “Yep. Idaho here we come!”
“Have a seat and listen.”
Sitting down in one of the chairs, Ryan tried to pay attention as his father detailed the passage of Scripture he was reading that morning.
“I’m in Proverbs chapter three this morning and listen to this, Ryan. It says in verse five and six, ‘ Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.’ Do you understand this?”
He shook his head. “Not really . . .”
“It means we can’t rely on our own way of thinking, but instead we need to trust God. The more we bring God into our lives, the more He can and will guide our path. Make sense?”
“Kind of . . .”
Pondering for a moment, Frank smiled and said, “Okay. Look at it this way, son. Let’s say there was a boy named Max who finds a magical compass deep in a forest. There’s a note on it that says use the compass and follow it completely to discover a treasure. Now Max starts to follow it, but the path gets really difficult. He’s climbing over large rocks and going through deep waters. Eventually, it guides him across a log bridge and to an awesome waterfall. Inside the waterfall is a treasure chest full of gold. As the forest became dark, the magical compass began to glow and Max was able to use it to guide him back out of the forest safely. Just like Max relied on the compass to guide him on the adventure, we need to rely on God and His Word to navigate us through life’s adventure.”
“Ohhhhh . . . I get it now! The Bible is like the compass!”
“Exactly.”
A moment passed, then Ryan asked, “When do we leave?”
Peering at his watch, Frank said, “We can leave soon. Maybe an hour? Go get ready.”
On the road, they listened to music for a while, then his dad turned the volume down.
“How’s your summer going so far, Ryan?”
“It’s going okay.”
“Your mom tells me you’re not getting along with Jason.”
“He’s just so young and dumb, Dad. You don’t get it. He follows me around and bugs me all the time!” Folding his arms, Ryan looked out the window.
“He looks up to you. That’s your little brother, Ryan. I know it’s hard to understand right now at your age, but one day he will be like a friend.”
Ryan huffed. “Doubt it.”
“I don’t doubt it. Brothers are like built-in best friends for later in life for a man. Never take it for granted.”
Ryan didn’t respond.
“Can you do me a favor?”
“What?” Ryan looked over at him.
“Just be nice to your brother. Can you do that for me?”
“Yeah. I’ll try.”
Stopping at a busy truck stop just across the Washington-Idaho border, they got out and Frank showed Ryan how to pump gas. Holding the handle with him, Frank guided him each step of the way.
“This is fun!”
Frank laughed. “Sure, son. Fun .”
After pumping the gas, they crossed the parking lot to go inside the truck stop. The place was packed with travelers.
“Let’s use the restroom.” Frank extended a hand toward Ryan.
He shook his head. “I don’t need to go right now. I’ll just look around.”
“Find yourself a treat and after I get air in the tire, we can buy it.”
Finding the candy aisles, Ryan started his hunt for the perfect treat. Settling on a sour candy, he turned around and looked for his dad. He checked the nearby aisles but found no signs of his father.
Uneasiness began to build as he saw countless adults and no dad.
Hurrying back over to the restrooms, he went in and looked around. Again, no dad. Dropping to his knees, he looked under each of the stalls. He didn’t recognize any of the shoes.
Panic began to fill him as he exited and went searching for his dad once again in the truck stop. Anxiety rose within his little heart with each moment that passed.
The car! he thought. Tossing his candy on a random shelf, he headed out of the truck stop and into the parking lot.
The car was no longer at the gas pump.
He began to cry as he sat down on the curb. He was sure his father left without him.
“Ryan?”
Lifting his gaze, he turned to see his dad standing beside him.
“Dad!” Jumping up, he wrapped his arms around him. “Where’d you go?”
“Around the corner to get a little air in a tire. Why are you crying?”
“I thought I lost you forever.”
Frank smoothed a hand over his head and then bent at his knees. Looking into his eyes, he shook his head. “You didn’t lose me. I’m right here.”