This is a true story about two boys, a walk around the lake and the heartbreak of a little orange crane truck that was lost forever.
The Little Orange Crane Truck
There’s a beautiful lake on the street where I live. There are few things I like better than to walk around this lake with my grandchildren.
Ezekiel (4 ½) and Levi (3 ½) have adopted a number of rituals on our walk. One of which is to stop at the park sign which outlines the RULES for the lake. They insist I point to each little diagram, on the sign, and explain what it means. Both Ezekiel & Levi understand the rules are there for people’s safety and they know these particular rules off by heart.
On Wednesday we decided to have a picnic on the park surrounding the lake. It was a very cold day, so we sat in the sun while we ate lunch. After lunch Ezekiel had a few crusts left and thought it’d be a good idea to feed them to the ducks. So he raced up to the rail, which surrounds this particular part of the lake. Placing his most treasured orange crane truck (which was given to him by Aunt Bree) on the ground, he used both hands to break and throw the crusts to the hungry ducks below.
When Levi saw what his brother was doing, he got excited and ran to where Ezekiel was. But he didn’t see the most treasured orange crane truck on the ground and his little boot accidentally kicked the most treasured orange crane truck off the wall which supported the lake.
Three distressed pairs of eyes watched the orange crane truck go “plop” into the water below. It sank rapidly down to the murky, muddy bed of the lake.
Ezekiel’s initial response was to scream, “Oh no, no, no my orange crane truck! Nanna get it, get it Nanna! It came from Bree’s house; I want my orange crane truck!”
My grandson’s genuine cry of distress tugged at my heart strings. I looked over the rail and seriously contemplated diving into the freezing water to retrieve the much loved orange crane truck. But then I thought, “Boy, the water sure looks cold down there!” and the next thought was, “It’s probably full of duck poo!” And then I remembered the rules! THE RULES! Thank God for those rules!
I turned to Ezekiel and said, the rules Ezekiel, remember the rules! The sign says that I can’t dive into the lake and I certainly can’t swim in it. It’s too dangerous, I will get into trouble, I’m not allowed! Ezekiel understood exactly what I was saying, he knew the RULES. Ezekiel’s cry became even more distraught because he could now see that his treasured orange crane truck was gone for ever.
Quickly Nanna swung into action and I said what any loving Nanna would say.
I said, “Ezekiel, I can buy you another one.”
“I want that one!” was his initial response. But I answered him with, “I know you do, but it’s gone. We can all have fun looking for another one at the shops.”
The good news was starting to sink in, Ezekiel began to see hope for the future. His crying quickly stopped and he questioned me concerning my promise.
“We can get another truck like that one?”
“Well, I don’t know whether I can find the exact same truck, but I can guarantee we’ll definitely find something you’ll like.”
“Oh” he said, “that would be good Nanna.”
It was at this point, that I took control and laid down a few conditions,
I said to the boys, “We’re not going to go home straight away, we’re going to walk around the park and enjoy ourselves and then we will go home. Nanna has a few jobs to do after which we will all hop in the car, go to the shops and buy the truck.”
I was impressed, because Ezekiel didn’t demand I take him straight to the shops there and then, he fell into line with MY way. He took hold of MY hand and walked with ME right around the park. I could tell he was shaken, because he wouldn’t normally hold my hand for so long. Under normal circumstances, he’d be holding his crane truck. But at this point in time, because he’d lost his crane truck, I was his comfort, he was placing his trust in me to deliver my promise within the time I had stipulated. And as far as he was concerned, it was as good as done! There was still no truck in his hand but he behaved as if there was.
As we walked, he wiped his tears away with his free sleeve and he started to talk to me about how beautiful the day was, he even mentioned the peacefulness of the park. I thought that was pretty mature for a 4-year-old. He deliberately went out of his way to make good positive conversation and in doing so, it helped him to deal with his loss.
When we got home, both Ezekiel and Levi waited patiently for me to do a few chores before going to the shops.
Once at the shops, with both boys holding my hands now, we headed straight for Big W. In the toy section, we quickly located where the cars and trucks were displayed.
Well, we didn’t find a precious orange crane truck, but we found a fantastic white cherry picker! Both boys were impressed with the find.
And then I said to my other grandson, “Hey Levi, you choose what you want too.” With Ezekiel’s help, he chose something very quickly.
And then, reaching out to the Match Box Cars stand, I picked up even more cars and trucks for them to take home. Their hands were full, they got much more than I had initially promised, and I enjoyed every single minute of spoiling them; so did they!
When we got home, Nanna was exhausted! So I laid on the lounge for a little ‘Nanna nap’. The boys tucked a blanket around me and kissed me on the cheek saying “Good night Nanna” and then they quietly played with their new toys, on the rug, right next to the sleeping Nanna.
Jesus spoke in parables. Parables are, put simply, earthly stories with heavenly meaning.
This true earthly story has significant heavenly meaning. When you know the Bible you can see it presents many spiritual parallels. For God feels the same way about us as I do about my own grandchildren. Only God’s love is far more amplified! I would even go so far as to say, there is nothing you could possibly love more than the love God has for you. Yes, we love our families, friends, pets, material possessions… The human race knows how to love. HOWEVER, God doesn’t just know how to love, the Bible go so far as to say, ‘God IS love’. Love is who He is. I hope you have experienced His love for you as I have. Reach out and hold the unchanging hand of the God who keeps His wonderful promises.