Tommy was a special boy,
People knew it from the start.
Intelligence denied him,
Was made up for in his heart.

"He would always be a child,"
His physicians used to say.
Although, unlike Peter Pan,
Tommy couldn’t fly away.

But he had his fantasies,
Those he’d share with mom and dad.
And each tale his parents heard,
Only made his father mad.

“Today I walked on water,
Because Jesus said I could.
He held my hand the first time,
But then I got pretty good.”

“I did it all by myself,
Before the end of the day.
And Jesus said, tomorrow,
We might have time to play!”

“I have had enough of this!”
His father said with a shout.
“You will stop this blasphemy,
Or, I swear, I’ll throw you out!”

Tommy’s dad was a preacher,
At the local Baptist church.
He claimed to be a shepherd,
Who could guide you in your search.

So Tom didn’t understand
Why his dad would not believe.
Why was he so quick to think
That his son meant to deceive?

The boy grabbed his sleeping bag,
And the pillow from his bed.
Then he climbed out the window,
And toward the lake, he fled.

He built himself a campfire,
Then he turned in for the night.
He knew Jesus would visit,
In the early morning light.

But a desperate cry for help,
Startled young Tommy awake.
It sounded like the voice was
Coming somewhere from the lake.

By the time the boy reached him,
The man was going under.
When Tom pulled him up again,
His eyes were filled with wonder.

He’d been swimming with some friends,
But they got separated.
Then his side started cramping,
And he thought death awaited.

But Tom came to the rescue
And he got the man to shore.
His friends said they’d never seen
Anything like it before.

Rumors spread like wildfire,
It was all over the news.
The media combed the town,
Hoping for some interviews.

When Tom’s dad saw the paper,
The news had gotten hotter.
And the front page headline read:
“THE BOY WHO WALKED ON WATER!”

And as he read the story,
He could not believe his eyes.
How could this be possible?
It all came as a surprise.

This news was unexpected,
And a shock to everyone.
But somehow he understood,
That the boy must be his son.

But Tommy was still missing,
Since the night he ran away.
Could he have gone to the lake?
His father began to pray.

They’d been all over that lake,
And they left no stone unturned.
They found no trace of Tommy,
And this caused him great concern.

He said: “Lord, please forgive me,
I am such a foolish man.
Take good care of my Tommy,
And bring him back if you can.”

“Because of my lack of faith,
My boy thought he had to leave.
But after all that’s happened,
Lord, I truly do believe.”

And then, as if to answer
The prayer Tommy’s father spoke,
He heard a loud noise upstairs,
Which sounded like something broke.

He bolted up the staircase,
And rushed into Tommy’s room.
An odd fragrance met him there,
Sweeter than any perfume.

And there was Tom, in his bed,
Slowly waking from his nap.
His dad quickly scooped him up,
Then he sat him on his lap.

“My son, I want to thank you,”
He said, as tears filled his eyes.
“What I thought of as a curse,
Was a blessing in disguise.”

“I saw you as handicapped,
A disabled existence.
But what you lack in knowledge,
God replaced with innocence.”

“You said you walked with Jesus,
Which I didn’t think was true.
Since He hadn’t walked with me,
Why believe He walked with you?”

“I couldn’t see past my pride,
Or your disabilities.
The belief of innocence
Holds such possibilities.”

“I am humbled by your faith,
And my judging days are through.
You know so much more than I,
The whole world could learn from you.”

He took his son by the hand
And they walked down to the lake.
A CNN reporter,
Claimed the story was a fake.

But before he could finish
He saw something magical.
The crowd pointed at the lake,
Shouting “It’s a Miracle!”

Coming across the water,
They saw a man and a boy.
Some who saw it were in shock,
While others were filled with joy.

It was Tommy and his dad,
Filmed on national TV.
And in the weeks that followed,
They became celebrities.

They began building a church,
To teach the world what they’d learned.
And show us how to follow,
When the Son of God returned.

And it wasn’t long before
Their new church began to grow.
People came from far and wide,
Where Tom walked, they would follow.

And they were led by a child,
Who would never be a man.
His eternal innocence
Made him just like Peter Pan.

Men and women learned from him,
So too, their sons and daughters.
All who seek to walk in faith,
Must learn to walk on water.

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Copyright©2017-1999 by Rebecca R. Hammack

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