Passing the Bug

I’m pleased to report that Susanna has already mastered an important life skill: sharing.

I’m not pleased, however, to report what she shared: the stomach bug. 

Jim and I were both afflicted, but Rebecca has emerged unscathed.  So far.  I’m hopeful that Rebecca will remain healthy, because she may have received my antibodies to the virus through my milk.  I like thinking that I didn’t suffer through the flu in vain; by undergoing the symptoms, I was able to spare Rebecca (but unfortunately, not Susanna, since her sickness preceded mine).  Wouldn’t it be nice if I could bear all of my daughters’ burdens like that?  Just undergo the illness/problem for them, acquire the immunity/lesson on their behalf, and then transmit the benefits to them? 

I recently read a quote from Tony Woodlief, a Christian blogger I enjoy following (http://tonywoodlief.com/).  His most common theme is parenthood, but he often weaves in topics of grief and suffering, a topic he is familiar with, having lost his own daughter to cancer.  He wrote, “"We parents would go straight into Hell to save our children, which is exactly what God did for us."  His words keep coming to mind.  I hated watching my child suffer through something even as relatively painless as a stomach virus, and found myself wishing I could somehow bear that burden for her.  The Lord did infinitely more than that: He allowed His only begotten Son to suffer and die so that we, His children, might be healed from the sickness of sin.  He took the penalty of our sins upon Himself, so that we need not endure the punishment.  I’ve always been moved by the following hymn stanza:

“Death and the curse were in our cup:
O Christ, ’twas full for Thee;
But Thou hast drained the last dark drop,
‘Tis empty now for me.
That bitter cup, love drank it up;
Now blessing’s draught for me.”

Now as a parent, I now have a better appreciation for the sacrificial love of my Heavenly Father.  I’ll never come close to fully grasping what He did for me, but having children of my own has infused new significance to the words of the Bible: “But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” -Isaiah 53:5.