One of the best days of my life, aside from the day I got saved, is when Tonya and I became parents to a healthy baby boy, whom you all know as Micah. Tonya and I know him as “Boom”, “Boog”, and “Stink”. When he was born, he was slightly jaundice and was not feeding so he dropped weight, which clearly he has put back on. In our follow up visits to the pediatrician, they listed one of his diagnosis as “a failure to thrive.” Because of his inability to feed properly and his loss of weight in the hospital, we had to stay a day longer than anticipated. I remember being very frustrated and scared all at the same time. I thought I could not possibly experience a greater fear until yesterday.
What started out as normal cold and flu symptoms which responded to Tylenol and rest turned into a full day spent at Evangelical Hospital and Geisinger Medical Center. At Evangelical, Micah got blood drawn and had an ultrasound, both firsts for our little man. These tests showed suspicion for appendicitis and so another first in the form of an ambulance ride. As they prepped him for surgery and especially as they wheeled him in for surgery, in addition to the emotion of fear and faith, the overwhelming emotion was helplessness. There was nothing we could do to help Micah feel better or take his pain away. We were completely depending on God.
There are two takeaways for me as we reflect on this experience. Number One: God places people in our lives at just the right moment. In Acts 9 we read the story of Barnabas coming along side of Paul. In verse twenty-six the Bible says, “And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. As Micah was going off for the ultrasound I was left in his room and was overwhelmed with the emotion. Sensing that, the attending physician came in and encouraged me and I was strengthened. God knows what we need when we need it and He is faithful to provide it. My prayer is that all of us would be as that doctor was for me and Barnabas was for Paul and that is people who come along side others to encourage them and to strengthen them.
The second take away was an appreciation that was gained for the heart of God. The Bible tells us that while Jesus was on the cross, He cried out, “My God, my God. Why have You forsaken Me?” This is the only time in the Gospel account where Jesus refers to the Father as God. Most scholars agree that it was in this moment when the sins of the world (past, present, and future) were imputed onto Jesus and so disgusted by sin was the Father that He turned away from His Son. I can’t help but to think that as much as God was and is disgusted by our sin, that His heart was crushed as He watched the suffering of His Son for the redemption of the world. I believe that when we suffer, God looks upon us with the same sympathy and comes along side of us to gently remind us of His presence.
May we be people of encouragement and may we recognize the heart of the Father when facing the disappointments and sufferings of life. May God bless each and every one of us.