Having a sick child is hard. Currently, mine are still young. I’m sure it’s hard during any season of life, but when they are little it can be so difficult to help them. Especially if you don’t know exactly what’s wrong. As a baby, they can’t tell you. I’ve found that sometimes they speak without saying a word. Their silence can speak volumes. Their silence can teach us. It’s definitely taught me a thing or two. Better yet, God has used my children to teach me. When you’re sick, you long for comfort and to feel better. What does God want us to know about His comfort?
A Lesson from My Son
As a sick infant, usually what you want most is to just be in mama’s arms. I recall times when my boys would feel terrible and all they wanted was me. As a mom, that can be tiresome, but that’s another story. Despite being touched out, God used a time when my son was sick to teach me. (He does that a lot, speaks through everyday life situations.) In my arms, my son no longer cried. He simply snuggled into me, head on my chest, and rested comfortably. I felt God say, “I want this from you.”
Life gets chaotic and things can seem to be going in every direction except the right one. Christ longs for us to want Him & Him alone. To crawl up in His arms, lean back, and find comfort. It’s in His comfort that we find true rest. When I keep trying to fix things on my own or figure it all out, I just get more and more frustrated. But when I run to Him, I find complete peace.
A Lesson from My Mom
Here is what I love about God, He doesn’t always stop at one lesson when He speaks. Remember how I said it’s easy to get touched out as a mom, especially when they are sick. There have been times when my boys did not feel well and I knew they wanted me, but I needed just a moment to not be wanted. What a relief when my own mom came in and took my sick son from my arms. Even if for just a 30 minute arm break.
During that time, what do you do? More often than not, I’ve cried. Probably some from exhaustion, but also as a means of release. Kids can get heavier the longer you hold them. Isn’t that the same with the burdens of life? The longer we try to carry those around and manage them on our own, the heavier they get. He never meant for us to be weighed down by our burdens. No, He wants us to cast them onto Him.
My mom took my son & I suddenly felt the space to release my bottled emotions through tears. Christ desires for us to lay our burdens – our worries, fears, concerns, questions, uncertainties – at His feet. He will gladly carry them for us, allowing us that space to breathe. To cry if we need to. To let go of the heaviness we’ve been carrying. He’s much more capable of bearing it than we are.
What God Wants Me to Know About Comfort
- It’s okay to admit you’re not okay and lay it all down.
- When we release the weight on our shoulders, we find relief.
- With the heaviness lifted, we can breathe and relax.
- From that position of rest, we have the space to lay back into God’s comforting arms.
The next time you have a sick kiddo, ask yourself what the Lord may be using them to teach you. Lay your burdens down at his feet. Then lean back into His arms and find a comfort unlike any other. You won’t forget it and once you’ve found it, you will long to have it more often. Just like our kids, you will want Him and Him alone.
Leave a Reply