“If you had Been Here...”
This time of year I hear of so many families dealing with sick children; flus, colds and infections of various kinds.
It takes me back to a time that seems like yesterday. As if one sick child was not enough! One day our oldest daughter was so ill we had to have a doctor come to the house. After a rather thorough examination he determined it was probably a case of strep throat. During the night our son woke us, complaining of headache, sore throat and an upset tummy.
“ Oh no,” I groaned as I went about collecting all the ‘nursing’ necessities. That still wasn’t enough. No sooner had I drifted off again when I was awakened, this time by the whimpering of our one year old baby. While changing her, I noticed she was burning up with fever, also having developed a cough and runny nose in a few short hours.
Before I left her room I turned to the single bed next to the crib and felt the forehead and cheeks of our four year old daughter.
“This can’t be” I groaned inwardly, “I’m just paranoid. But it was! Morning finally came and with it four sick children, with the two oldest staying home from school. The little girls played and napped intermittently and I was kept busy running for juice, ginger ale, tempra, Tylenol, Kleenex and clean diapers. Breathless by evening, I flopped into a chair and thought like Martha of Bethany, “Lord, if you had been here this would not be happening!” Very gently I heard the voice of my Lord “I am with you, always, even to the end of the age”. Well, it certainly felt like the end to me! I had to admit, though, He was there for me all day long. There had been enough emotional stamina to take me from one crisis to the next; enough physical health and strength to keep me on my feet all day long. But oh, I did long for my husband’s homecoming, just to give me a little break with the kids!
And there he was! The door opened as the thought surfaced. Shuffling into the kitchen he looked at me with weary eyes. In a hoarse voice he spoke, “Oh my throat and my head...I feel awful.”
“Lord, are you still here?” The answer came quickly and quietly, “As your days so will your strength be!” “Thank you, Lord.”
And every day I draw strength from that promise, as I encounter all kinds of challenges on my way to the party!
It takes me back to a time that seems like yesterday. As if one sick child was not enough! One day our oldest daughter was so ill we had to have a doctor come to the house. After a rather thorough examination he determined it was probably a case of strep throat. During the night our son woke us, complaining of headache, sore throat and an upset tummy.
“ Oh no,” I groaned as I went about collecting all the ‘nursing’ necessities. That still wasn’t enough. No sooner had I drifted off again when I was awakened, this time by the whimpering of our one year old baby. While changing her, I noticed she was burning up with fever, also having developed a cough and runny nose in a few short hours.
Before I left her room I turned to the single bed next to the crib and felt the forehead and cheeks of our four year old daughter.
“This can’t be” I groaned inwardly, “I’m just paranoid. But it was! Morning finally came and with it four sick children, with the two oldest staying home from school. The little girls played and napped intermittently and I was kept busy running for juice, ginger ale, tempra, Tylenol, Kleenex and clean diapers. Breathless by evening, I flopped into a chair and thought like Martha of Bethany, “Lord, if you had been here this would not be happening!” Very gently I heard the voice of my Lord “I am with you, always, even to the end of the age”. Well, it certainly felt like the end to me! I had to admit, though, He was there for me all day long. There had been enough emotional stamina to take me from one crisis to the next; enough physical health and strength to keep me on my feet all day long. But oh, I did long for my husband’s homecoming, just to give me a little break with the kids!
And there he was! The door opened as the thought surfaced. Shuffling into the kitchen he looked at me with weary eyes. In a hoarse voice he spoke, “Oh my throat and my head...I feel awful.”
“Lord, are you still here?” The answer came quickly and quietly, “As your days so will your strength be!” “Thank you, Lord.”
And every day I draw strength from that promise, as I encounter all kinds of challenges on my way to the party!
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