It Hurts!

Today, I got a call from the school nurse. She informed me that my son had something "hard" lodged in his ear. She sent him to the in-school clinic, where they attempted to irrigate and dislodge the object to no avail. So, we were sent to the Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist at the children's hospital downtown.

When we arrived, they zoomed into his ear with a microscope connected to a huge, flat screen, HDTV. And there we saw it...a rock. Now, of course my son has no recollection of how a rock could have possibly found its way into his ear. I ask if it could be a pencil lead because kids and pencils can hardly get along (trust me on this one...I'm a teacher). They insist it's a rock and begin to try taking it out.

Kaleb is a strong critter, so the first attempt was a failure. He was too strong and the staff was unable to keep him still. So, after soliciting my help and acquiring the help of a few other medical staff, they asked me if I was okay with him being swaddled. I obliged and watched them wrap my big boy much like I used to when he was an infant. His whole body was wrapped up like a burrito, so he couldn't move his arms or legs. He was helpless.

As they began poking and prodding his ear, he began to cry...then yell...then scream. The pain was unbearable. I encouraged him to breathe. I told him to calm down. I said it was okay to cry and be scared but he had to try harder to keep his head up and be still. Watching him go through the pain and not being able to do anything about it was hard for me. His little brother began to cry for him. My eyes filled with water too. It was hard to witness...

However, as I watched him endure that pain, I was hurting for him. I knew that what he was going through was best for him at the time. It was what he needed. It was a necessary process to get him where he needed to be. The pain was unavoidable. It hurt him, and the ones who loved him most were hurting with him.

But as his mother,  I was there the whole time. I never left his side. I encouraged him. I reassured him. And when they released him from the bondage of the swaddle contraption, I comforted him. Hmmm...

Sometimes, God allows us to experience painful situations. He gets no pleasure out of this. When we hurt, he shares our pain; He bears our burdens. He knows we are helpless, and He knows it hurts. But He also knows that it's necessary. We can't grow and change and be who we are meant to be without the pain. God knows it hurts, but He's right there with us. When we are crying out in pain, He comforts us. He encourages us when we feel like we can't go on. He reassures us when we question if we'll be okay. He soothes our doubts and calms our fears. He whispers to us to keep our heads up. And when we've done all we can do, He reminds us to be still.

If you are in pain right now, you aren't alone.  If you are hurting and feel helpless, God knows that. He's there with you every step of the way. He promised to never leave you and never forsake you. He feels your pain and hates it, just as much as you do. But you gotta endure it. The pain in the process is part of your journey to reach His purpose. Stay strong. Stay faithful. Be Blessed XOXO