Let Me Take Her Place

As a mother, watching your child suffer any type of illness or pain is one of the most difficult and heart-breaking things possible.  You just want to snap your fingers and magically make everything all better.  You want to have the answers to all their questions, "Why I am sick?"  "Why did I get germs?"  "Why doesn't my tummy want any food in it?"  Why, why, why...

Unfortunately, there is no instant cure for the flu, which is what Coralyn has been dealing with for the past 3 days.  No matter how many times I have tried to explain to her why she is sick, why her tummy hurts, why she can't have anything to eat (seeing as how she will puke it up in a matter of an hour or two), she still doesn't understand why she doesn't feel good.  Even as I type, she is crying and asking to have something that won't make her sick.  She looks and sounds so pitiful, holding her bowl and begging me to help her feel better.

Trust me, sweetie, I am doing everything I know to do.  I have tried water and Sierra Mist to drink.  I have tried saltine crackers, oatmeal, graham crackers, and a banana to eat (all at different times, of course!).  All to no avail.

AUGH!!!!  I just want to take her place!  I would much rather be sick than her.  I would rather be the one puking and hurting.  I love her so much and hate that I can't really do anything for her.  Yes, I can hold her and cuddle with her, and try to comfort her.  I can read books to her.  I can let her watch "movies" on Netflix, although that special treat has lost its appeal after 3 days.  Coralyn, who LOVES to watch Huckle and Diego and Super Why just told me, "I don't want to watch anymore TV."  Now I know she's sick!

Oh, I would give anything for her to feel better, even if it meant I would be sick instead.

As I was crying out to Jesus to heal her, yet again, and asking Him to take this illness from her (and give it to me if necessary), I couldn't help but think of how Jesus did just that for me, for all of us.

He didn't have to, but He did.

Jesus willingly left heaven to come to earth where He was hated, despised, questioned, rejected, and eventually murdered.  And He never did anything wrong!  When He was nailed to the cross, MY sins put Him there.  He could have come down, He could have made the soldiers stop, but He let the whole thing happen.  He freely laid down His life, dying...so that I might live!

I am quite sure the pain of the cross (and the beating that came before it, not to mention all the scorn and ridicule He faced throughout His life) was much, much, much worse than even the nastiest case of the flu.  But, just as a mother loves her child such that she is more than willing to take the child's place and be sick instead, so too Jesus loves us and took the punishment of our sins upon Himself.

How thankful I am for Jesus!  I owe Him everything!  Absolutely everything!

And so, as I go to sit with Coralyn and try to soothe her and ease her discomfort, I will praise Jesus for loving me so deeply, so abundantly, so sacrificially.