Words From A Father

It has been quite a week for our family! Early in the week I was drawn to a verse in the Bible - throughout the week this verse became my theme, my comfort, and so much more.

Our week began with a sick child on Sunday. Bennett started with the stomach flu on Sunday afternoon. He complained of a "sore tummy" as he was eating lunch and complained more as he laid down for his nap Sunday afternoon. By mid-afternoon Kim and I were aware that he was suffering from the stomach flu and that our weekend had become a little more trying than it was before. Throughout the afternoon, into the evening, and then throughout the night Bennett was making regular trips to the bathroom. Our poor 3 year-old boy was helpless and at times he was too weak to walk out of his room. I would carry him to the bathroom and support his little head as he sat on a tiny stool next to the toilet. As we sat next to the toilet, around 12:30 in the morning, with tears in his eyes, he cries, “my tummy won’t stop hurting”. It breaks my heart to see any child sick or in pain, but when it is my own child, my heart completely shatters - I hurt for him. At one point - he was so weak and so helpless – he looked up to me and cried, “I can’t stop getting sick”.

Bennett's fever presented itself around 1:00 in the morning – accompanied by cries; “ouch, my ear hurts”. I laid down next to his bed to comfort him. Every few minutes - throughout the night - he would stir awake and call out to make sure that I was still there as he reached for my hand. "Daddy, don't leave me, stay." All through the night – and into Monday morning – the trips to the bathroom continued.

A trip to the doctor on Monday morning confirmed that Bennett was dealing with the stomach flu...along with a double ear infection. And, as a bonus, bronchitis on the brink of pneumonia! All day Monday Kim and I held a helpless, very ill, little boy who just wanted to be taken care of and to know that everything was going to be alright.

Tuesday arrived with better health. Bennett was home but he seemed to have fully recovered from his stomach bug and his chest sounded much better. Kim had an appointment at the doctor and I enjoyed a morning at home playing board games with Bennett. Around 10:00 Kim called and said, "do you want to have a baby?" Her doctor was sending her to the hospital! After some comotion at home - getting bags in the car and working out childcare - we made the short trip to the hospital and we were in a room by 11:00. Tuesday evening at 7:53 we welcomed our second daughter – fourth child – and we named her Korah.

Korah was beautiful from the moment that she arrived and Kim and I were filled - once again - with the joy of being parents. The nurses took little Korah over to the other side of the room and began to gather her stats - length, weight, and more. Then they told Kim and I that they wanted to take her back to the nursery because her breathing was labored. "We'll bring her back in when we have her stable", the nurse told us.

So we waited as the nurses and doctor looked after her in the nursery. The feeling of joy never left, yet it was soon joined with a feeling of aprehension and uncertainty. "What is going on with our little girl?" and "When will they bring her back in?" were just a couple of the questions on our minds. We were anxious to see her and to hold her and yet we understood that she was being cared for. When Korah was not back to the room after an hour, I walked out and asked about her and was informed that she needed more care than the hospital in Robinson could offer, she was going to have to be transported to the Neonatal ICU in Champaign - two hours away.

Korah left around 2:00 in the morning on Wednesday and Kim and I followed up after her. Thoughout the remainder of the week we watched as she labored to breath, oxygen being supplied to her tiny nostrels, a feeding tube down her throat providing her with the nutrients she needs, wires measuring her every vital sign, and monitors telling us about her progress. We watched as X-rays were carried out, blood was drawn, and multiple tests were completed on our tiny newborn girl. All the while praying for her, talking to her, and singing over her.

"Everything is going to be alright". Countless times this past week I have spoken these words - to Bennett as he was laying in bed or sitting next to the toilet, to myself as I sat in prayer, to Kim and we embraced one another, and to little Korah as she lay in her bed. Countless times this past week I have spoken words of comfort and encouragement. Countless times this past week I have spoken passages of Scripture to bring encouragement. Yet no passage has spoken more to me than Zephaniah 3:17; "The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

This week - as I sat next to the bed if my 3 year-old dealing with the stomach flu, as I sat at the hospital next to my wife in the midst of labor, as I sat in the NICU with my newborn daughter - I was reminded of God pressence - at all times and in all ways - and I was reminded that He is mighty to save. This week - as I rocked my son to sleep and as I watched my daughter sleep - I was reminded that God takes great delight in us as His children. This week - as I comforted Bennett and as I sung to Korah - I was reminded that God comforts us with His love and rejoices over us with singing.

Maybe you can identify with what it means to care for a helpless individual, assuring them that you aren’t going to leave them and that everything is going to be alright. Delighting in them as you pour your love down on them and share in a feeling of joy. Or maybe right now you are longing for someone to care for you - to know that you are dearly loved - to know that someone delights in you and rejoices when you are around.

Zephaniah 3:17; "The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you in song."

Remember that God is with you - He will not leave you. Remember that God is mighty to save - when you are weak and helpless. Know that Everything is going to be alright - that God delights in you and that He will quiet and comfort you with His love - that God will rejoice over you in song.

Right now, I invite you to take a few minutes to allow God’s words to permeate your life- to pause before the Lord and allow His love to flood your soul - to kneel, bow, sit, or stand before God and know that everything is going to be alright - to know that He loves you and He delights in you - And to know that when He thinks about you, He breaks into song

Zephaniah 3:17; "The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you in song."