#343.2 – “Like Having a Newborn… but without the Cute”

“… and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:20
Joshua has some kind of physical issue that must be causing him to occasionally choke and/or vomit, because he has had too many episodes for it to be coincidence. Just last week, he had two occasions – once when were eating out to celebrate Grammie’s birthday, and again the other night at the house. It is this last episode I will tell you about…
We had all gone to bed. Sarah said that she woke up when she heard Joshua in our bathroom. She found him curled up in the fetal position on the little mat that lies in the floor in front of my sink. She asked him if had been sick; he said that he had. She then encouraged him to come to bed with us for a while. None of this I heard or knew about at the time (if any of you are long-time readers of my devotions, you know that it is next to impossible to wake me once I fall asleep). I got my information the next day from the one who had been most of the night with him… the same woman who was up many nights when we had babies. She told me all about it from her state of sheer exhaustion the next day. I thought then that this was a lot like having a newborn in the house… but without the ‘cute’.
Being with somebody in their time of need is a mark of Christ-like empathy. By showing that we are willing to walk alongside someone in their trials and tribulations, we resemble the kind of ‘I will never you nor forsake you’ commitment that Christ has towards His Church. When we make that kind of commitment to each other, we are modeling the very character of Jesus. And that type of allegiance not only has an immeasurable impact on the recipient of such kindness, but also brings great glory to the One who first modeled it for and to us.

Daniel

p.s. we do have an appt for Joshua to find out what is at the bottom of his choking/vomiting