By Katrina Fuller

There is nothing as terrible as when your kids are sick — especially when it is your baby.

I had forgotten how hard ear infections are on your baby when they can’t tell you what is wrong. I forgot about the sleepless nights and the doctors visits and the constant worry.

Ours was a house of sickness and cleaning supplies this weekend, my friends. There were sleepless nights for us parents and a whole lot of unpleasantness for the baby — however, I am hopeful we’re on the road to health once again. The big kiddo was upset because we didn’t do much and, I think, felt a little left out — but over all, seemed in fairly good spirits.

There’s a lot of thinking that goes on in the wee hours of the morning. You wonder about how long the fevers will last or how many days you can last on three hours of sleep. You think about past sicknesses or the sicknesses of your other kiddos — was it as bad as this?

Mostly, this weekend, I thought about the fact that no one has built a device that will transfer sickness from one person to another. I know I would take my kiddos’ sicknesses at once, no questions asked. You’ve got a two ear infections and post-nasal drip? I can handle it. A scraped knee or a bumped elbow? Hand it right over. I’ll even take their upset tummies and other maladies.

In my opinion, there is nothing like the helpless feeling of watching your suffer while you are stuck with nothing left to do.

When we think of God as our Father, you could say he felt a similar feeling as he watched us suffer in our sin and brokenness. But, it was different in the sense that he did not feel helpless. That is why God is God, and we are not — he did not look on in sadness, but rather had a plan for us to become well.

He found a way to take the awfulness of sin and carry it on his shoulders — he took our suffering in order that we might be made whole and new; a new creation.

As it says here in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Looking at us as his children in need of the saving grace that only he can provide, Christ bore our sins in pain and anguish so that we might live and love abundantly. I don’t know about you, but to this tired Mama, it brings me a comfort beyond measure to know that my Father in Heaven loves me that much.

While I can’t promise you healing from sickness or that following Christ will make your life painless and carefree, I can tell you that you will be given a hope and a love that overflows that you can fall back on during those times of hardship as well as in times of joy. Will you take that remedy today? Will you accept that grace and salvation that Christ so freely gives?

My friends, please don’t remain in a house of sickness and brokenness — let God take on your burdens, and accept his free gift in return. Maybe that newness of life will be just what the doctor ordered.