The Kite . . . by Candy Faust

The Kite . . . by Candy Faust

Publication: The Lookout

Date: July 3, 2005

Column: First Look

Category: Trusting God

It was Mother's Day, and the weather was gorgeous. The sun shone in the blue sky and a warm breeze was blowing—a perfect day for flying a kite! On that glorious Sunday afternoon, our family drove to the nearby park. Our son-in-law had purchased two colorful kites, and we took turns holding onto the string, watching with delight as the kites soared high in the sky.

When it was my turn, I held tightly to the string as the wind whipped the kite into the air. I had not flown a kite in years, so my son-in-law helped me maneuver the orange and yellow kite. It was fun! I ran and laughed as the kite flew high. I felt like a kid again. But in my excitement, somehow I let go of the string. The kite came loose, flew out of control, and got stuck high in a tree.

My husband Dave and I take regular walks, circling the circumference of the park each day—and every day we passed that kite stuck high in a tree. We found it amusing that the kite stayed there so long, and we remembered the fun we had on that Mother's Day in the park with our kids.

The kite was stuck for a long time. Day after day, week after week, month after month, it remained there. After enduring the summer heat, the autumn winds, the winter snow and ice, and the spring rains, the kite looked faded and worn.

Almost a year later as we took our walk in the park, we once again passed the tree, but this time the kite wasn't there. Somehow, it had finally broken loose. We saw it lying on the ground nearby, tattered and faded. We decided that when we finished our walk, we would pick up the kite and return it to our son-in-law, knowing he would share our amusement that after almost a year, the kite was finally free.

When we returned home, we realized we had forgotten to retrieve the kite. Oh, well. It was a nice thought. Later that same day, I went to the park again because it was such a pretty day. As I walked, I noticed a man in the distance. A little girl was sitting beside him on a bench while the man worked on something. Coming closer, I realized he held that tattered orange and yellow kite in his hands, and he was carefully trying to fix it. The little girl watched excitedly.

A smile came to my face, and my heart felt warm as I watched them. The kite, which once had been so bright and colorful, which had been stuck in a tree for almost a year, was now in the hands of someone who saw value in it—even in its tattered condition.

Soon the man and the little girl were flying the kite! At first, it looked pitiful as it flew next to another kite flown by another little girl. Her kite was brand new and looked like a bright-colored butterfly. But then the old faded kite began to soar higher and higher into the sky. The man and the little girl looked delighted. Their newly repaired kite wasn't the prettiest one in the sky, but it was flying! I felt happy to see it flying free again, doing what it was designed to do.

Then it dawned on me. I am like that kite. Sometimes I am soaring. Then suddenly, things change. Life's circumstances make me feel trapped, like that kite in the tree. Life's storms come along and rain on me. I feel alone, beaten, and stuck. Sometimes it feels like God isn't there or he doesn't care that I'm stuck. Then in his perfect timing, God lifts me out of the trap, fixes my wounds, repairs the hurts, and soon I'm soaring again.

As I continued walking, I looked up and noticed another kite—stuck in a tree.

Note to Reader: Candy Faust is Dave Faust’s wife.