Papa's Ponderings

Jodi and Ryker (pulling an earring)

My dogs ran out of dog food the other day and I forgot to go to Wal-Mart until after our Shack study. I really didn't want to go late at night but felt to guilty not to. By "coincidence" I bumped into my daughter in law Jodi's mother and sister. Her sister looked at me and literally fell into my arms sobbing. Explanations were unnecessary. Julies 1 year old boy...a few days apart from Jodi's Ryker...fell against a searing hot wood stove and burned the palms of his hands to the degree that they flew him to the Maricopa County burn center. Thursday they got the news he would require multiple surgeries, scrapings, skin grafts and the like. Julie must remain in the hospital with him 24/7 for the next month or more. Julie's husband flew down from his job in Washington but had to return. Julie is/was in the process of moving to Washington to join her husband. Julie's 4 beautiful blond daughters have to be farmed out to her sisters for basically the rest of the school year. Julie has to sit day in and day out trying to comfort a baby who cannot possibly understand the depth of the pain he feels. Thus the puddle in my arms...and eyes. I would ask you to pray, but I know you already did...and will. Julies grief, her pain, her sorrow is so understandable. A mother's love meter pegs out when her child is hurting in any way. Grief and puddles are her constant companions. It can be no other way right now. It is the natural response of the depth of love she know for her infant son. We do not know the outcome and it is scary. The baby has no idea of the potential for infections and complications. He just wants to go on with life as he knew it before...but cannot or is not allowed. In many ways Julie has the larger share of the pain. The more he hurts, the more she hurts...and feels love and compassion for her child. That reminds me of a question I was asked the other day. I was asked what it means to Grieve the Holy Spirit of God. (Eph 4:30). Doesn't God get mad at us when we disobey? NOPE, but he does grieve or as we would understand and express it, feel pain and sorrow. But it does not effect Hislove for us. If anything, Hisgrief manifests the depth of Hislove. Our sin literally pains the Holy Spirit more than it does us because, like Julie, the Spirit knows the depth of problems it could and does lead to. Every parent can identify with this mix of love and grief. The pain of our children, self inflicted or not, really hurts deeply...but it never effects our love. If we can do that with all our imperfections, imagine how much God can love us...even in our sin. Live LOVED. the shack discussion guide