It was a beautiful fall in Vermont, and Robert was in his usual good mood on weekends. He was off; and he was surrounded by his family; had his usual volleyball game to play. A game between neighbors and friends that met down at the river each Saturday to play the best of 3 games, weather permitting.
Today, as usual, his daughter Melanie asked permission to go with him. Today, unlike other days, he agreed. She jumped in the car and sat next to her idol, her father, and they drove the one half mile trip to the river.
There, in the park, she sat and watched her dad do something he seemed born to do, play volleyball. Game after game, her dad would maneuver himself in position to spike, or set up the ball, and score points. If the game got close, they all would look to Bob (Robert) for his leadership.
With the sun setting over the trees, a cool breeze blowing across the Shenandoah River, Robert was a mighty man. His team behind by one point, Robert was the man in the middle. The men on the other side used to call him the monster in the middle, as he was incredible in that position. Both a threat to score or set someone else up, he had to be death with and couldn’t be ignored.
What made Robert so effective, besides his leadership, was his favorite move; he would go up to spike the ball and would sometimes miss the ball on purpose by jumping high. The other teams’ front line would almost always jump up to block the spike. Bob’s spiked balls very fast. He would throw his entire body behind the spike, twisting his hips such that the power came from his hips. If, you were to get hit by the ball; it hurt and they knew that.
Fear made them jump at the slightest hint he was going to spike. But if he missed the ball he then would hit it the second time before his feet hit the ground. The result was the front line of the other team would be flat footed by then and the ball would go over their heads for a sure score. Melanie was proud of her dad and would stand, with her teddy bear tucked under her right arm, clapping and streaming “Daddy” over and over again.
After they won, he hugged his daughter and drive them home, and, although not a baby anymore, she would lay her head on his shoulder and say “Daddy’s Baby.” She knew he liked that and she so loved her dad.
One Monday, he would dress and drive to work, quietly checking on his sleeping daughter before he left. Today, he slipped a note under her pillow. It read, “I had a great weekend and enjoyed your being there with me at the game, Love Dad.” On this day though, bad news would come. For on his way to work, he was hit by another vehicle, a Red Truck, running a red light. It struck Bob right in the middle of his door; a T-Bone accident the police would call that.
He was alive, but in critical condition. Melanie and her mom went to the hospital and talked with the Doctor. They said it was a touch and go situation and they just to wait and see if he came out of his coma.
That night, after the preacher had left, she went to bed and prayed. She prayed that like she had heard her dad do so many mornings before work. He thought she was asleep but she could hear him praying aloud through the heating vents in the house. Every day he prayed for her safety.
Today she returned and prayed for him. “God, heal my daddy, he’s all the daddy I’ve got and I love him so. He’s a good man and we need him back. I know you can do this because Daddy said that with God all things are possible so I’m asking you to heal him and thanks. I ask it in Jesus name. AMEN.”
The next Saturday she was up quickly and dressed in shorts and a loose shirt. She put on her white socks that had butterflies on them and ran to her mom and asked if she would drop her off at the volleyball game. Her mom, wanting to keep her daughter busy so she wouldn’t worry about her dad, agreed.
At the river, she got out and looked in the car, she thought about taking her teddy bear with her but thought today she would leave it behind. “Take care of Teddy Mom” she said and off she ran. All the men were gathered around talking about Bob’s accident when they saw her run up.
One of them asked what she wanted and she said she was there to play for her Daddy. There wasn’t a dry eye in that bunch and they told her that they thought she was too young to play. She said, please, I’ve got to do this for Daddy. They agreed. They couldn’t say no, every now and then Bob would bring that little girl and she would stand there routing for her Dad. Today, she was determined to step in and play for him. They just couldn’t say no to her request, which was almost a plea.
The game was getting out of hand, Melanie’s team was loosing and it wasn’t because she was trying. Standing there, here little hands held in that position hands ready to hit the ball, she tried. Then she heard it, a small voice coming from somewhere, it sounded like it floated on the wind. It said, “I’ve heard your prayers and request Melanie, how could I say no to such faith, I shall do that this day. Your Dad will be healed. Be strong, I see you are playing a role as center on this team and playing for your Dad today. There’s a lot of your daddy in you, but there’s a lot of me in your daddy. One day you’ll play a role in the game of life Melanie, and play for God the Father, by serving Me.”
A more motivated player they have never seen, she wiped the tears from her eyes and was alive at center. Passing the ball, setting it up for someone else to spike, and diving for balls. Then it happened, it was as if she were her dad, the ball came over head and seemed to hang there, she jumped up as high as possible and swung at the ball but missed on purpose. A quick glance showed all the front line players had left the ground, then she swung and hit it again and the ball slipped between two players on the other side as their feet hit the ground. She did it just like her dad. “A chip off the old block boys,” the men said on both sides of the net. “Sort of looks like her dad, don’t you think?” One man asked. “Yup,” the man said, “you can see the father in his daughter.”
As she waited for her mom she thought about her Sunday School Lesson the previous week. Someone had been talking about Jesus and had asked him to show him the Father. He said that they had been with him all that time and didn’t know him. They could see the Father in the Son. She was pleased that others could see her dad in her. He was a good man, gentle, loving and a good father. He had Jesus in him. That’s what it meant to be a Christian he had told her.
Then she remembered what she had heard on the field, she would get her daddy back and one day she would serve Jesus on this earth. Maybe others in the future would see her dad in her. Maybe they would see Jesus in her too. Her mom arrived and she ran to her to get her ride home.
She had much to tell her mother, things about Volleyball games, things about Fathers and Daughters and about serving Jesus in the future. She hugged her teddy bear, and soon, she’d get to hug her dad again too.
James Parmis Ministries - http://www.JamesParmis.com
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