by Sabrina Beasley
Our family has been very blessed in the contagious illness department. My 18-month-old son has had his share of colds, but we’ve avoided almost every other kind of sickness … until this fall. Our entire household fell victim to “the stomach bug.”
So far, praise God, we haven’t had the flu, but this was almost as bad—8 hours of vomiting, followed by 3-4 days of other digestion problems (if you get my meaning).
There was nothing more heartbreaking than holding my son in my arms while his body turned cold, then hot, then went into involuntary stomach convulsions. “Mama,” he quietly moaned, “Mama.” He wanted me to fix it for him, make him feel better, but I was at the mercy of God as much as he was.
I sat there with him for several hours in the middle of the night, cold rags and blankets in hand. I did the only thing I could do—care for him and hold him.
The next day the vomiting was over. He seemed to be feeling better, but I noticed that my son seemed to be even closer to me—hugging, petting, calling my name, watching to make sure I was close by. It was as if my presence made him feel safe and secure.
As hard as it was not to be able to heal my son’s physical woes, I was able to give him something better, the greatest gift I have to give him—unconditional, sacrificial love.
The difficult thing about unconditional love is that it is most effectively administered during times of hardship. No mother would wish that experience on her child, but at the same time, it was an honor to share that kind of love, a taste of the same kind of love God shares with us when He said, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5, KJV).
Even though the love I give my son cannot compare to the love God has for us, it does give me a glimpse of how sweet and tender His love really is toward His children. Even Jesus compared His love to that of a mother: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem … How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling” (Matthew 23:37).
I wonder how many times I have been the one to refuse God’s tender love from shame of being “sick” in sin, when it was under His wing where I would receive healing.
Wiser people than I have often told me that becoming a parent would open my eyes to what it really means to love someone unconditionally. And they were right. But what surprised me is how much it has opened my eyes to a greater understanding of how much God loves His children. If I—an imperfect, sinful human—have so much love for my child, how much more does a perfect all-loving omnipotent Father God love His children?
What a blessing to know that when I’m sick I can be healed; when I’m tired I can rest under the shadow of his wings; when I’m thirsty, I can drink His living water; when I’m hungry, the Bread of Life.
Times of sickness and sorrow are hard paths to follow both spiritually and physically, but I wouldn’t trade the sweet taste of love that blossoms from the rich soil of hardship, no matter how difficult it may be.
Comments