“Our” Father’s Heart

So, we as a family, have just been through a difficult time… when clinging to the Lord in tears, was all I was able to do. For someone who always likes to be in control, calling these past few weeks ‘hard’ is an understatement!

Two weeks ago, I was sitting with my Bible, early one morning, but my mind was not on the text. It was with my child who had been admitted to the hospital the previous evening – after months of being unwell and in pain. It was hard not being there with her. And harder still that I could do nothing.  

My mind wandered to the time Debbie, our 2nd daughter, was first diagnosed with Crohn’s, soon after we arrived in Vancouver. She was 16 and extremely ill when admitted to the hospital, and at that point, I would’ve done anything to have spared her the pain she was going through. Because she was in BC Children’s Hospital, there was a little cot in her room, and I stayed with her for all of those 2 weeks – I wouldn’t trust anyone else. It didn’t matter that I couldn’t sleep because every 15 minutes something beeped loudly – she was hooked up to all kinds of lines and monitors. To someone who finds it hard to use a public toilet – it didn’t matter that I showered in the ward washroom. It didn’t matter that I lived on coffee. I could not/would not leave her. In fact, it was with great difficulty that I left her with her father one morning – only to find out on my return that they had lots of laughs because he had helped her quietly get rid of some thick chalky liquid, before a scan, without the nurses noticing, when she felt she couldn’t drink any more!! [Now you see why I might have control issues? 😊]

Just then a text from Tony, our son-in-law, broke my thoughts. I had offered to go to the hospital to give him a break, but he wanted to stay with Debbie because she was still in pain. Suddenly I felt overwhelmed with love and gratitude towards this boy who loved my child so much, that he had sat all night in an uncomfortable plastic hospital chair, beside her bed, to care for her, and was willing to stay with her for as long as it took. That so delighted my heart!

And as I sat there praying a blessing on him, I heard a familiar whisper cut through my thoughts. You know, that’s exactly my heart too, Ruth. And I had to pause to figure that one out… for I knew it was the whisper of my God.

Think about this. When someone is good to any of our children on any given day – it delights our heart to see/hear of it. And we, of course, love them for it. In exactly the same way, when we care for or show kindness to ANY of God’s children, we delight their heavenly Father’s heart too…every time.

However, on the flip side, it breaks our heart when someone hurts our child – inasmuch, we will do anything to mend that hurt, or avenge it. Yet, so often, we are rude, mean, spiteful, unhelpful and small-minded to His children, without a qualm of guilt or thought that it hurts their Father’s heart too…every time. 

“Our” Father takes on a whole new meaning, doesn’t it? Something to think about as we go about life, friends. 

PS. Debbie is home and getting better by the day, and we raise a grateful heart to the Lord. Our grateful thanks also to wonderful praying friends and a fabulous team of doctors and nurses at St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver.