Thoughts on Bandaids and God's Love

Thoughts on Bandaids and God's Love...

Sara Rose and I eating a cupcake at the bakery last week :)

so, Sara Rose LOVES bandaids.

you know, the ones with Hello Kitty and Dora the Explorer on them. Whenever she falls down, she asks for "band ands pees!" (bandaid, please!).... even when she isn't really hurt.

now, when she REALLY hurts herself, like the other day when she got a scratch on a bougainvillea thorn and she was bleeding quite a bit, she still asks for a bandaid as the tears die down, but i can't put one on right away.... I had to clean the little rip in her hand with water, which really brought the tears back, because water in a wound can hurt soooo much...

and then I had to pour a little peroxide over it - the bubbly, frothy liquid scared her half to death, she started shaking and telling me "I cared! i cared!"(i scared! i scared!)... but I had to do it.

Lastly, it was time to apply some salve to promote healing and limit infection. After all the pain and poking and prodding I had already put her through, she just collapsed in a defeated heap on the floor, almost throwing up in fear and agony that mommy would put this horrible gel on her wounded hand.

Only then, after all that, could I let her pick out a pretty bandaid and cover it up........but she was so upset, so traumatized, that she just held it in her little fist, as mommy held her close.

Needless to say, mommy was crying too by the time we were done - i must have cradled her there on the floor of the laundry room for half an hour, telling her it's ok, mommy loves her, it's all for her good, to make the ya-ya go away. Her little hand found mine and we held hands and cuddled there until she fell asleep against me.

As i sat there, listening to the whir of the washing machine, feeling the warm breeze from the dryer on my face, holding my little battle-weary soldier in my arms, God spoke to me.

"This is how i feel when i am healing your wounds, and you think i don't understand, that i am hurting you or that i have changed or don't love you. I do love you - so much that even though you don't understand my ways, even when you cry and fight and try to run away from my hand, I am still faithful to complete what i start in you, i don't let go of you, I never will, and when you finally give up, finally fall into my love, I will hold you and sing over you, I will speak to you, and I will heal you. You are battle weary, you are wounded, but I am your rest, i am your healing, I am your father, your mother, and you are my child."

As I sat there, weeping quietly, God's voice spoke to my heart, healing wounds in my spirit, and wrapping me up in His arms, I thought of what a great lesson it is to be a parent - a lesson in who God is and a glimpse of how much He loves us.... more than we could ever hope to know or understand.