Hero Dad

Life can be so hard. So painful. So tragic.

“I’ve never wanted to be my son’s hero so badly…” said Austin Stephanos’s father Blu late yesterday afternoon. After eight straight days of combing the waters endlessly searching for his lost son and his son’s friend Perry, Blu was exhausted. Feeling completely overwhelmed. He headed home to briefly see his family before resuming the search.

And while Blu is still believing for a miracle, hoping to find his boy amidst the vast waves of the warm Atlantic, he battles wanting to be the hero by bringing his son home, while feeling the failure of his empty arms upon his return.

Blu, you have not failed. You ARE a hero. A spartan. A fighter. A beacon of hope in this horrific nightmare.

Whether you are Austin’s savior from the tragedy of the unthinkable on the open ocean or if Austin lovingly rests in the arms of His ultimate Savior Jesus, you are a hero.

From the moment you realized your boy was missing, you were out in the hunt. For every interview, you showed America what lengths the heart of a loving father will go to. You have never given up hope and have inspired an entire community and much of our nation to call out to God on behalf of these boys. You had us all hope in unity for something beyond ourselves.

You are a hero. To your family. To ours. To this community.

To Austin. To Perry.

You have done well daddy. And we’ll keep the light on, in hope. We’ll keep praying with you and for you and your loved ones. You have loved heroically, my friend. And inspired all of us to love more deeply.