A Mothers Father

My friend, Sue, just experienced a scary time navigating a health crisis with her 11 year old son, Noah.  This post is just for her because I know she will fully understand…

When my oldest daughter was thirteen, and right at the start of her eighth-grade year, she contracted a very serious case of viral meningitis. After almost a week in the hospital and over a month of recovery, she finally began to regain her health and act like a normal teenager. During this tentative time of ill health and recovery, I wished numerous times that I could be the one sick, that I could be the one struggling, that I could spare her suffering and take her pain upon myself. In fact, I feel this same way whenever any of my children, whom I love with my whole heart, are sick. I hate seeing them suffering so much that it would be easier for me just to carry the burden for them. But, alas, I cannot.

Whenever I experience this longing to “release my children” from oppression or sickness, I think of my God as the Father that He is. And I more fully understand His willingness to take our sin upon Himself. I more fully grasp his deep need to protect His children, whom He loves with His whole heart. And I can identify with His complete willingness to substitute Himself in our place.

Our Father loves and adores us—just as we love and adore the children He allows us to raise. He truly hates to see us suffer. He chose to put Himself in our place and take our sin as His own, because, alas, He could.

Should we not then trust Him? The One who died in our place? Like our children trust us, the ones who would gladly trade suffering with them?

The answer is “Yes!” And “Of course! And “How could we do otherwise?”

But the reality is that we forget the depth of His love for us, the expanse of His commitment to us, and the enormity of His sacrifice because of us. We forget He is our Father.

As mothers, we need to remember our Father. We need to attribute our feelings towards our kids as an overflow of his feelings for us. We then need to trust Him with ourselves and with our families, instead of letting fear rule our minds and our hearts.

We need to choose to rest in His provision and His promises…and not in ourselves or our feelings. For then we will dwell in His peace. And then, in our dependence, we will bring Him glory.

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the Shadow of the Almighty.”

Psalm 91:1