Originally posted on December 12, 2012.
We recently had a bout of the stomach virus at our house. Anyone who has ever experienced such a thing knows how very unpleasant it is. Anyone who’s been through it with kids knows things can get downright crazy.
At one point Sawyer was literally covered in vomit. I walked him to the bathroom to put him in the shower, and he was so miserable, so sad, so tired, he simply laid his head against me while we waited for the shower to warm up. And I wasn’t disgusted by that. I wasn’t sitting there thinking that I wish he wasn’t my son or I that I regretted getting pregnant and birthing him almost five years ago. I didn’t yell at him to get away from me or tell him how gross he was. I stroked his hair and patted him and told him everything was okay. If anything, my love for him soared in that moment, when he needed me. Then I took care in cleaning him up, putting clean clothes on him, and getting him tucked warmly into his bed again. I spent the rest of my night straining to hear him in his room, ready to jump up if he needed me again.
It struck me later that for some reason we don’t think God can love us the way we love our children. I am such a flawed, terribly imperfect human being, yet I felt such love for my son in his totally unlovely state in the middle of the night. Why would I question whether God can love me in the same way? In an unfathomably better way? When He finds me in a disgusting state, maybe He isn’t angry (the way I picture Him sometimes). When I am so needy that I have to lean on Him just to stay upright, maybe He doesn’t get annoyed or frustrated. When I am covered head to toe in everything that is repulsive to Him, maybe He doesn’t regret that I am His child. Maybe His love for me soars. Maybe in those moments God enjoys just patting me and reassuring me that everything is going to be okay. After all, if I can love Sawyer so much, how much more incredible must a holy, perfect God’s love for His children be?
I believe in that kind of love. I’m so glad that I am His child.
Thank you for this beautiful reminder…my son had a had case of stomach flu last year and it was terrible. You’re right, I didn’t care that he was such a mess…I just wanted to do what ever I could to help him feel better…I never related that to what God wants to do for us. Thank you again…
Thanks for reading and for this lovely comment, JennG!
Dear Melissa,
Where do I sign up to purchase your personally autographed book? Anybody that can turn a vomit covered child event into a God’s Love story must have a book heading our way.
Melissa, you are a delight!
Ha ha, Robert! You’ll be the first to know! 🙂 Thank you so much for your encouragement!
I was just remembering a time when my son was sick. He was in high school and we lived in a two story house. I spent the night sitting and dozing on the stairs because I was so worried about him. God has patted me on the head many times in my life. Just waiting a short distance away when I call out to him. Just as I was a short distance from my son. Thank you Melissa for stirring these memories.
Thank you for reading and for this comment, Barbara!