At 7:20 last evening, my oldest son started complaining of his ear hurting. My husband decided while the urgent care was still opened, it would be better to get him in tonight and at least get him started on a prescription if he needed it. Sure enough, upon taking him in, the doctor said my son had a very red and swollen ear.
Last night I was searching the house for Tylenol to give to my son as the Motrin alone wasn’t helping much. Those screams of pain coming from my son made me wish it was me there and not him. I realized we were out of medicine so I ran to the store to pick up more.
At 4:45 a.m. I awoke to the restlessness of my son who had snuck into our bed. I could hear him mumbling “ouch…ouch…” So I went downstairs to mix-up a cocktail—which is what we call the mix of Tylenol and Motrin. After giving it to him, I lay next to him on the floor praying as he gently sobbed in tired pain.
It hit me, as I pleaded with God to make my son more comfortable that night, how God really knows what I’m feeling as a mom. I started thinking about the great ache of our Father’s heart as He saw His children in pain as a result of sin. He didn’t want us to suffer either so He came through Jesus to be a living sacrifice for us, so we have the option to be with Him rather then spend eternity in hell. It just felt good in my tired head last night to be reminded of the love God has for us. Having children has helped me to understand so much more clearly what loving unconditionally means.
My son did get some sleep last night. The combination of fatigue and the “cocktail” helped him quickly. It’s past 9 a.m. now and his medicine is still working. I’m hopeful his anti-biotic will work by tonight.