The Knots Of Faith

He pulled the rope taut, and with a flick of the wrist and lightning quick motions with his thumb and forefinger and he had a knot.

I was nine and amazed.

Image by mr.smashy I wanted to tie knots. I began to dream of all the things I could connect rope to. I could tie one on the branch of a tree and swing on a tire like I’d seen on The Waltons. I could pull my wagon with my bike with the right knot. I could save someone drowning in the lake if I could tie a loop and throw it to her. But mostly, I just wanted a good knot that my brother couldn’t escape from when I tied him up.

Mr. Ledbetter was my Webelo leader and he worked at the grocery store. But in his spare time, he could do anything. Like tie knots. And he could read a map and tie a tourniquet and peform CPR on Rescucitation Annie.

By the end of the year, I could do all that – and more.

During those same years, Mrs. Triano would open her bible and teach us a Sunday School lesson at the church on Wildwood Drive, the one built out of knotty pine. Danny, and Daryl and I and a couple of other kids would squirm and find ways to pass the time. And there was Sammy, the preacher’s kid. He never listened.

But somehow, it sunk in. To this day, I know the stories, the lessons, and the Lord behind them.

Before long I had James on my knee, my own flesh. I would teach him how to tie his shoe and how to snug his hook with knots. I would teach him how to put the bandage so the dirt wouldn’t get in. And I taught him the same lessons from the other side of eternity. And then Josh came along and he too, learned.

Some day, they’ll have their own and the legacy will live on. I pray that my grandchildren one day will learn how the knots of faith can be woven, tightened and used for everyday life.

The Lessons I learned. The Lessons I’m learning. What will I learn today?.

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