Thank the Lord for Dads who set the Pace for their children!

Story of Dick and Rick Hoyt. picture

How they came to be racing icons

became an icon in the sports world while pushing his son, Rick, who's a quadriplegic and has cerebral palsy, across the finish line of more than a thousand races.

How this all started:

Rick, the younger Hoyt heard about a benefit run to help with hospital costs for a paralyzed lacrosse player at a local state college, as Dick Hoyt told a local TV station in 2012.

DICK HOYT: He said, Dad, I have to do something for him. I want to let him know that life goes on even though he's paralyzed. I want to run in the race.

CORNISH: Hoyt was 40 at the time and only ran a couple of miles each week.

And it was a 5-mile race. And the gun went off, and Rick and I took off with all the other runners. Well, everybody thought Rick and I would go to the corner and turn around and come back. Well, we didn't. We finished the whole 5 miles coming in next to last but not last (laughter).

1 Timothy 1:2 CSB

2 To Timothy, my true son in the faith. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 Timothy 1:12–20 CSB

12 I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry—13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 18 Timothy, my son, I am giving you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies previously made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the good fight, 19 having faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and have shipwrecked their faith. 20 Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have delivered to Satan, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.

1. Dad’s and spiritual fathers have the privilege of coaching kids in righteousness. (1Tim1:12-14)

Rick didn’t give up on his son

a. Be an example of one running the race for God.

“After the race, I could not wait to get to my computer to tell my father how I felt,” Rick said of his first race. “I wrote’ ‘Dad, when we are running, my disability seems to disappear.’”

1 Corinthians 11:1 CSB

1 Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.

b. Kids, fathers will never be 100% perfect. Only Jesus gets that title.(1Tim1:15-16)

But, a faithful Father needs to be honored, especially at church.

According to data collected by Baptist Press, if a father does not go to church, even if his wife does, only 1 child in 50 will become a regular worshiper. If a father does go regularly, regardless of what the mother does, between two-thirds and three-quarters of their children will attend church as adults. If a father attends church irregularly, between half and two-thirds of their kids will attend church with some regularity as adults.

If a mother does not go to church, but a father does, a minimum of two-thirds of their children will end up attending church. In contrast, if a father does not go to church, but the mother does, on average two-thirds of their children will not attend church.

Another study, focused on Sunday School, found similar results on the impact of fathers:

When both parents attend Bible study in addition to the Sunday service, 72% of their children attend Sunday school when grown. When only the father attends Sunday school, 55% of the children attend when grown.When only the mother attends Sunday school, 15% of the children attend when grown.When neither parent attends Sunday school, only 6% of the children attend when grown.

Another survey found that if a child is the first person in a household to become a Christian, there is a 3.5% probability everyone else in the household will follow. If the mother is the first to become a Christian, there is a 17% probability everyone else in the household will follow. However, when the father is first, there is a 93% probability everyone else in the household will follow.

Here’s the point of all these statistics: Dad’s impact on the kids’ faith and practice is HUGE.

Dads, let me encourage you with these words which Moses spoke by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to the dads of the new generation in Deuteronomy:

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:6-9)

c. Focus on the goal set by your fathers.(1Tim1:17)

2. Children need to develop habits in order to mature.(1Tim1:18-19)

I don’t know what Hymenaeus and Alexander believed or taught, but I imagine it was something simple. I looked at Gnosticism again this week.

“The chief danger that confronts the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, heaven without hell.”

― William Booth

“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.”

― G.K. Chesterton, What's Wrong with the World

The capstone of their belief would be that KNOWLEDGE was virtue in itself. They also believe in a magical way of understanding Scripture. That you just read it and you can interpret it to mean whatever you wish or want. It’s basically a self-worship religion. It’s pride. They had very low morality or virtue in practice.

But then we have the tentacles of Gnosticism stretch to today’s mindset. We don’t call it Gnosticism. We really don’t call it anything. Morality today makes very little demands of anyone. Today’s morality could be understood as “I’m not Hitler, so I’m not bad, therefore whatever I’m doing is good.” That’s the basis of modern day morality or lack thereof. It has morphed into something else from what I observe. It’s a hyper false virtue. It goes like this: “I’m not Hitler, so I’m good. Because I’m good, whatever I feel, believe or want is a virtue. If you don’t affirm my wants and desires, you’re bad and basically Hitler.”

That’s not good. It’s not a good way to think. It’s not a good way to live. It’s not a way for society to get better. We have to give up childish notions and challenge our kids to live to the high calling of Christ.

a. Fathers challenge to attempt difficult things.

I’ve discovered that most parents will start going to church because they want their kids to have moral grounding. The danger comes when parents drop kids off at church and think that the kids will adopt morality through osmosis. You don’t become better at swimming by simply sitting in the baby pool. You’ve got to face the challenge. You’ve got to get in the deep end. Your kids need you to take them and show them how to swim. Morality comes out of a Biblical worldview.

The number 1 indicator of a Christian world view is reading the Bible. The second one is church attendance. The 3rd is church involvement.

Going the distance matters being an example makes all the difference.

D HOYT: Fifty-one years ago, Rick was born. Rick’s umbilical cord wrapped around his neck and stopped oxygen getting to his brain. He became paralyzed. And the doctor said, forget Rick, put him away, put him in an institution; he's going to be nothing but a vegetable for the rest of his life. We still haven't figured out what kind of vegetable he is.

Because Dick supported Rick in his dream, Rick lived a fulfilling life. He didn’t sell out to the world’s opinions. He attempted big things because his dad challenged himself and Rick.

Rocky video

D HOYT: But today I'm very proud that we're going to be honoring Rick with this bronze statue over here.

b. Kids grow in resilience so you finish the race. (1Tim1:20)

The same year, both Hoyts were honored with an ESPY award, and Rick Hoyt helped his father accept the honor.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

RICK HOYT: Because my dad said yes when I asked him to push me in the first race. Even with so many people telling us that we did not belong, we are here.

c. Train with others and travel with others.

Hoyt Ironman story.

They didn’t stop at Marathons. Rick wanted to compete in triathlons, which added cycling and swimming. And the father and son set their sights on the most grueling of competitions - the Ironman. But the organization initially would not let them compete together.

D HOYT: They said, Dick, you're a good athlete. You can compete, but your disabled son has to sit in the sidelines and watch you. And I said, no, we don't do things that way.

CORNISH: In the years since Rick and his father competed in the Ironman, the competition has added a physically challenged division to the event.

If you want to go fast, go alone.

If you want to go far, take others with you.

Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 CSB

9 Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. 10 For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up.

For consideration today:

Who inspired you to grow as a believer?

What habits did they pass on to you?

What wisdom helped you in your life?

Do you share what you received with others?

What story inspired you to work in your field?

What example grounds you in your faith?

Where do you use the gifts you received for the Lord?

When is the last time you thanked your mentor(s)?