“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10).

Team Hoyt: A son, Rick, born without the ability to walk or talk; a father, Dick, who wanted his son to be like everybody else. Together they have become an inspiration to people all over the world.

Determined to provide a normal life for their son, Dick and his wife enrolled their son in public school. Rick learned to write his thoughts using a special computer. When Rick was 15, he communicated to his dad that he wanted to participate in a five-mile benefit run. Dick was not a runner but agreed to push his son in a wheelchair. For the first time in his life, Rick didn’t feel handicapped. Today they run marathons. Together they do triathlons. Dick pulls Rick through the water in a small raft. He rides with his son perched on the front of a unique bike. He runs pushing Rick in a specialized wheelchair.

Determined to compete with his son at the highest level, Team Hoyt has completed six Ironman distance triathlons. Dick tows his son through the water for 2.4 miles; he carries him on his bike for another 112; he pushes Rick for 26.2 more miles. Grueling enough for any individual to complete on his own, Dick does it carrying his son.

Determined to show his son the country, Dick trekked 3,770 miles across the United States with Rick. Rick couldn’t compete without his dad; Dick wouldn’t compete without his son. Dick is the body; Rick is the heart.

It’s not always easy to illustrate how deeply God loves you, but Dick Hoyt’s example of selfless love and determination paints a pretty good picture. Your heavenly Father took it one step further:

1) Determined to have an outlet for His infinite love, God created you.

2) Determined that you would grow to love Him, God gave you parents that brought you to the baptismal font where you were given the gift of faith from the Holy Spirit.

3). Determined to bring you to heaven some day, God offered His Son to live and die in your place. Your spot in paradise has been reserved. Throughout your life—in good times and bad, through hardship and happiness—God is determined to carry you.

Suggested reading: I John 4

www.teamhoyt.com

Daniel Madson is a former school teacher and now a member of Abiding Shepherd Lutheran Church in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin.