The boy who walked thru fire.

I caught on fire once during a Youth Life retreat.  Literally, caught on fire.  Not just "caught on fire for the Lord", I actually caught on fire when a spark from the fire flew up and landed on my jacket.

Maybe I should back this up a few months.  I fell in love with this really cute guy in my drama class.  I sat behind him and we became "buddies".  We would tell each other jokes and laugh, we passed notes about our crazy drama teacher, we even did duets together.  I was so smitten.  I just knew in my heart this was the boy I was going to marry. 

I was sixteen and full of crazy hormones that made me think crazy thoughts.

He was one of the most popular boys in school.  An athlete, a honor student, class president.  You name it, he was all of it.  I was just another girl.  Overweight, frizzy hair, OK grades, no talents, nothing special.  But I knew we had a connection.  I am sure for him it was more of a friendship than a love connection.   But in my heart he was my future husband.

Crazy.

I centered my activities so I could see him more often.  {Um, stalk much?}  Anyway, I just wanted to be around him because we were so comfortable together.  I had never experienced that with a boy before and I knew it was special.  I heard he was going on this retreat weekend and I immediately signed up, too. 

During the weekend they kept the boys and girls separate except for worship times and special activities.  This boy that I crushed on was the same boy that pushed me off the treetops obstacle course because I was too scared to jump off myself.  Nice.

On the last night was the campfire/devo time.  Boys and girls huddled around the fire and sang praise and worship.  Many gave their hearts over to the Lord that night. During the closing prayer, an ember from the fire jumped up and landed on my jacket.  It immediately started to flame {big, huge flames...or at least in my imagination}.  No one noticed because everyone had their eyes closed.

Except for one boy.

He was on the boy's side of the fire and noticed me and my flaming arm.  Swiftly, he jumped the fire and came to my rescue.  He may have smoldered the jacket fire, but my heart's fire burned more intensely. 

We left that weekend and life moved on.  He dated someone else and I continued to be his buddy.  I am not sure what events turned his feelings from friendship over to interest.  But that boy finally asked me to a movie.

Yada. Yada. Yada. 

Long story short.

That boy turned out to be the man who walked thru fire.  For me.

That man has been with me through so many fires I can't even count.  He has been my humanly rock when life dealt nothing but fiery circumstances.  Loss of my dad, early college rebelliousness, huge school debt, babies, post-partum depression, daily living, insecurities, etc, etc, etc.  Through it all, he has rescued and provided.  He carries this family on his back as we navigate through this scary world.  He walks thru fire everyday for us.  For me.

Today is his birthday.  I hope he knows how much we love him.  I hope he knows that walking thru the fire means something to me.  I notice.

I love you, Skip.  My leaping fire boy.

I would be nothing without you.