The Suffering of a Child

Drum roll please…the pediatrician diagnosis for Susanna’s mystery malady is: acute left ear infection!

The doctor was actually very surprised to find that she had an ear infection in the absence of any cold symptoms.  He didn’t think it was a leftover infection from her last cold, since he had evaluated her in the interim and concluded that her ears looked good.  But whatever the source, the treatment is the same: more antibiotics.  She responded well last time, so hopefully we’ll have a similar success with this round.  I’m eager for her to feel better – I just can’t stand to see her in pain. 

I was thinking a lot about the suffering of a child during church yesterday.  I sat there, twisted in knots over my child’s relatively innocuous illness, while thanking God for sending His Son to the cross for my sake.  The Heavenly Father allowed His only Son to be beaten, mocked, crucified and killed – and those were only His physical sufferings.  Far more excruciating was the torment from the punishment for the sins of the world that He voluntarily bore.  I just cannot fathom the heartache of the Father as He watched His Son suffer.  May I daily grow in my appreciation that He did that so that I could be reconciled to Him, so that I would never have to suffer eternally.  No matter how difficult this life gets, no matter how many tears I shed over the pain of loved ones, I know that my suffering ends the moment I pass from death to eternal life – all because my punishment was borne by another. 

Do you, dear reader, know your sins forgiven?  God has accepted the sacrifice of His Son for your sake.  Have you? 

“O Christ, what burdens bowed Thy head!
Our load was laid on Thee;
Thou stoodest in the sinner’s stead,
Bear’st all my ill for me.
A Victim led, Thy blood was shed;
Now there’s no load for me.”

‘”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.”

-Anne R. Cousin (1824-1906)