And now after having a little taste of school germs...I do (and will remember to) realize the negative behaviors in myself that need to be pruned out (ie. getting sulky with God when things don't go my way and sickness moves in).
I took some time to ask the Lord for His opinion on the matter.
Check this out…
““The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one’s ‘own,’ or ‘real’ life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one’s real life — the life God is sending one day by day.” – C.S. Lewis. Do I believe that God authors every aspect of my life?
Absolutely.
Then instead of constantly fighting God on the unpleasant aspects of mothering (say, fevers and barfs), I would like to learn to quietly accept them, trusting that He knows what He is doing. He is sending them and bringing them for my good.
For my sanctification, even.
So, as we enter sick season, here are some of the things (and a few {hopefully} helpful tips) I have researched and found worked for me in between theinterruptions Massive amounts of ibprofen we needed this past week!
SICK BEAR
Now I found this idea AFTER they were through the brunt of this sickness but I think it would be such a great idea! How ever in my case-do I buy three sick bears?! That would kind of dilute the purpose but they truly were all sick at the same time....however each one had a "sickest" day so maybe not!? We will have to see!;) So basically you take a teddy bear (Even a Valentine’s Day left over one with a "heart" (that's my intention) and give it to them! It would be especially helpful for them to hold when you have to give them 10 days of meds that taste(and smell)...
A-W-F-U-L !!! Bringing them a little comfort might help and the snuggles and intense strangling while medication is being administered hugs would be great for them until they get better! Then Sick Bear gets a superior deep cleaning and goes back in the closet!!
Make a Couch Bed
When I was a little girl and got sick, my mom would transform the couch into a bed. She’d take fresh, crisp sheets and tuck them in nice and tight. We’d bring down my bed pillows and stuffed animals and I’d curl up on the couch to watch as much Saved Bt the Bell, Full House, TV as I could possibly handle. She’d make me toast cut in triangles and serve it to me on a TV tray. I felt like a queen! I now do this for the My boys and they are more than thrilled at the chance to take up residence in front of the tube. They ALL are! And that is partially why we probably ended up with three out of three!!
The Magic of the Cool Washcloth
Best thing ever when I was younger and had fevers. I still remember the smell of the clean wash towel and the feel of it on my head when my mom would rest it there. I loved flipping it over in 5 minute intervals to feel the coolness of the new side. My boys don't love it yet but they will! I tried to put one on Luke's head the other night and he shreaked! (He will love it when he is sucking the water out of it to get some liquid in him when he has the flu and momma won't give him something to drink {just like I did}!)
Medicine
I wish I was that person that brewed homemade herbal teas to bring down fevers and strained garlic or whatever to heal ear infections. But I am just not there yet – although ya never know...I do make my own granola bars now. I definitely don’t want to be unwisely pumping meds into my kid every time they get a runny nose, but sometimes medicine is the answer. You have to do antibiotics? No sweat. I think that giving our kids medicine can be a great way for us to learn more about God. I don’t know about you, but my children (well more so Luke) are incredibly disgusted by the taste of most medicines. We actually use to get it flavored and only buy certain flavors of Tylenol! Gag reflexes like no other with that one. He now willing takes it so much better as he is older and we don't have to gently pin his poor, sweet arms and shoot it down his throat! Sometimes we don’t like the taste of something God has brought our way, but He, as a loving Father, gives it because He knows it will bring about our ultimate healing! AND he always goes before us making a way!! (Lyric's 19 month well baby check up was scheduled this past week on the exact day I knew I needed to get them all looked at! Funny how we already had an appointment and they could all be seen with no trouble at all isn't it;) HE makes a way BEFORE us!
“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison…” 2 Corinthians 4:17
Bring Comfort to Another
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Snuggle Time
When the boys got sick their normally strong-willed, busy self became a little sweeter, a bit less active, and a lot more attached. Lane asked daddy like non stop the first day if they could snuggle! And I got the chance to actually hold my ‘baby’ for longer than a millisecond and bring him the kind of comfort only I, as his mama, can bring. Isn’t it funny how, for many of us, we want our mommies when we get sick? Even though I know the my Hubby loves me so much and would do almost anything for me, he will not stand at the toilet holding my hair back and stroking my head gently while I puke like my mom used to do. So, cherish those extra sick hugs, sweet mommies. Try not to rush off too quickly to get back to Clorox-ing absolutely everything in the house because when he’s away at college and catches the flu, you’re going to be the one he speed dials at 2 am simply because he wants to hear your voice.
“The person who rests in the shadow of the Most High God will be kept safe by the Mighty One, I will say about the Lord, “He is my place of safety… I trust in Him…” Psalm 91:1-2
God did a great job of (gently) reminding me that....
“A joyful heart is good medicine…” Proverbs 17:22
Step Up the Prayers
When things are easy, we can easily fall into the trap of not recognizing our need for God and therefore not spend as much time in His presence. When my kids were sick, I found myself pressing in deeper, memorizing Scripture verses, reading the Word, and praying A LOT. I held them and said words of comfort in their ears. Prayers for healing. Prayers offering the hope of a place where we will be one day that does not have the Chicken Pox or Rotavirus. And as I practice this, I realize that it ends up being more for me than for my children because I am drawn closer to my Savior. I am reminded of His goodness, the greater purpose, the taste of his strength (as opposed to my own), and He was revealed to me like no good time ever could have!!
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4
Another Opportunity to Surrender
Does anyone else struggle to remember on a daily basis that our kids are not our own?? They belong to God. Period. So when they get sick we cannot react by tightening our grip and stressing out. Sickness is beyond our control. Instead, it is a chance to hold our babies out before the Lord – like Abraham did with Isaac!!
“And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39
Your Child Gets to See What a Servant Looks Like
Mommies, our homes are places where our children get to experience Jesus, firsthand. There is no better time to share the tender and unfailing and perfect example of Christ then when you have a little one in need. It would be easy to walk around all tangled up in a ball of anxiety and frustration when my kids got sick. To be tense and fearful and in a hurry to see them get better. To grumble and complain about everything that got barf or poo on it or fuss about having to miss church or a fun once a year thing (a.k.a....paint the town) And God forbid one child get the other child sick too!!
BUT after this minor sickness they had I feel the urge to let go. I am finally learning what it means to truly serve – as Jesus did. Instead of staring at them with a giant burden in my spirit, I am going to try to always joyfully ask my sick boys, “What can I do for you?” and “Is there anything you need?” because I believe this is what our Savior humbly modeled for us. He knelt on hands and knees to wash the dirty, nasty feet of His beloved friends. He laid gentle hands on ill children. He had compassion on the great crowds and healed their sick.
But more important, He died on the cross to cure the most awful, wide-spread, debilitating sickness of all –
Our sin.
So, the next time you hear that first sniffle or get the middle of the night vomit-covered-bedroom call, we, as moms, can find purpose, joy, and strength in our hands and knees scrubbing of snot and yak, knowing that, in a way, He did it too.
“But He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed…” Isaiah 53:5
