It was the night I became the Knight in Shining Armor.
I slew the dragon. I beat up the monster. I scared away all the ghosts. And I saved the lovely maiden.
I won her heart…again.
Our beautiful young daughter won my heart at our first meeting. As I pulled back the blanket to get a glimpse of this gift from heaven, she reached out and grabbed my little finger.
Love at first sight. Love always and forever.
For my little sweetheart’s first night home from the hospital, I sat in a beanbag chair and held her all night. I spent the night adoring her and worrying about taking care of her.
So, it was no surprise that in her early years, each night ended up with the little blonde princess in bed with her mother and me. As our family added a baby brother, it became more of an ordeal to encourage my little girl to stay in her own bed throughout the night.
Most nights she ended up back in our bed because she was afraid of the dark. This fear is common among children.
However, my little angel played us like a fear-tuned fiddle.
Her nightly fears seemed to escalate in repetition and extremity until that night it all came to a crossroads. My love and frustration collided.
For the thousandth time, my little girl quietly shuffled into our bedroom and declared she was scared. Even the nightlight was not sufficient for the darkness surrounding her.
I escorted her back to her bed…again. Prayed with her…again. Then gave her a kiss…again. That is what dads do.
She hugged me and whispered about her fears. “Daddy, there are monsters in my closet and ghosts under my bed.”
I finally understood the dilemma. This was not the time for words of assurance. This was the time for action.
It was time to save the damsel in distress.
I rushed out of the room and quickly returned. My head was covered with a silver pot, shoulders draped with large towels, and a broomstick in my hands.
As I galloped into her bedroom on my imaginary white horse, I raised my makeshift sword and shouted, “Do not fear. Your knight in shining armor is here!”
The battle was on! The actions were emphatic. The sounds were dramatic.
I knew if this war was lost tonight, it would be Sleepless in Seattle forever.
I threw open the closet door and quickly destroyed the fire-eating dragon inside. I shouted at the monsters lurking in the dark corners of the room. I beat them into submission, one by one.
This Braveheart screamed, “Freeeeedommm!”
But there were still ghosts lurking under the bed. There was no time to call Ghostbusters. I had a broom. I quickly swept them all out from under the bed. My shouts frightened the scary ghosts as I chased them with my sword from the room, down the hall, and out the back door…never to return.
I returned to hear my daughter declare there was one more monster hiding in the back of the closet. No problem! Clothes and toys went flying as I wrestled with the last monster standing.
I beat him up until the monster begged for mercy. Surrender was not an option. I gave the “thumbs down” motion. This war is over. I carried the last monster’s lifeless body out to the backyard and threw it over the fence.
There is a memorable quote in the Sandlot movie where the baseball star, Babe Ruth, advises young Benny in a dream about the courage needed to retrieve Small’s famously autographed baseball from the nearby yard ferociously guarded by the junkyard dog known as ‘The Beast.’
“Remember, kid, there’s heroes and there’s legends. Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.”
My lovely maiden was saved…again. But that night her hero became a legend.
I remain her Knight in Shining Armor. As the years have passed, King Rex has been joined at the Knights of the Round Table by my daughter’s husband and son.
Their innumerable acts of courage and kindness are the stuff of legends!
Girls of all ages dream of their knight in shining armor. Guys aspire to be that silver savior. Others just show up in boots and jeans with no clue what is going on in life.
Courage. Courtesy. Chivalry. Loyalty. Honor.
Fearless. Faithful. Doers of Good.
When was the last time you made a positive difference in someone’s life?
I had a dream last week that I was running for the office of governor. That sounds more like a nightmare. The campaign staff expressed concern because I did not approve their campaign slogans and advertising.
I kept insisting I just “need to do something good for someone today.” (Sadly, this was a dream.) Eventually, the saying and the daily deeds went viral on dreamland’s social media.
Followers began to spread the message and emulate the practice. In my dream, the “One Good Deed a Day” spiraled in multiplication and became a worldwide movement. What a dream!
Why is that not a deliberate reality in my life?
God’s Word instructs us to always do good to others.
Be wise: make the most of every opportunity you have for doing good (Ephesians 5:16).
Honor the Lord by always doing kind and good things for others (Colossians 1:10).
Why does that sound so foreign to our daily lives?
Following my do good dream, I was more attentive to the many acts of kindness by people around me. I watched a guy take someone else’s shopping cart back to the cart area. I witnessed a man carry a woman’s heavy box into the post office. I overheard a lady ask permission to buy another mother’s child candy.
Go good-deeders! Go!
I realize I am not the leader of this movement. I just want an invitation to join you and the other knights at the king’s round table.
Jesus even encouraged us to do good to our enemies.
Love your enemies, and do good, expecting nothing in return…Your reward will be great…You will be acting as sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and to those wicked ones who do not like Him (Luke 6:35).
That is a challenge to add to our plans for the day! We cannot dress in aluminum foil for that encounter. Put on the full armor of God!
Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you (Luke 6:27).
I have enough enemies to sustain my “do good to someone else” project for months.
Does it matter? It is the difference between War and Peace. How do we make a difference in this world as knights in shining armor?
Conquer evil by doing good (Romans 12:21).
Love First. Love Most. Every person. Everywhere. Every time.
Conquer horrible things done by bad enemies by doing good to them.
If each of us practiced that daily assignment, this world would tilt on its axis.
Every day is an adventure to conquer our enemies within and without. Slay the dragon of selfishness. Beat up the monsters of what might have been. Chase away the ghosts of regrets and unforgiveness. Raise up your sword of love and do one good deed for someone else.
One night long ago, one good deed by this knight in shining armor started a new routine of our daughter sleeping safely and soundly in her own bed. She knows there is a “Legend” nearby.
OK, the next Knight in Shining Armor task is to find a way to help our anxious dog feel safe at night outside my bedroom.
THE DOG DOES NOT NEED TO SLEEP IN OUR BED!
MONSTERS, DRAGONS, AND GHOSTS, BEWARE!
Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.
LOVE FIRST...LOVE MOST 