I don’t think this can be proven scientifically, but I believe the odds of winning the lottery are better than the odds of keeping grandkids for a week and all of them staying well. I remember one time when Korie had to be out of town, she left her four kids in our care. This wasn’t new to us. We kept them often, as well as our other grands, so I was no stranger to wheezing, strep throat, flu and an assortment of bumps and bruises. BUT, this time the kids were having a good week. A great week. No fever, no sore throat, no coughing to keep us up all night, not even a runny nose. Life had been good. 

The last night, the night before the parents were to return, I sent the kids off to shower or bathe, an innocent enough activity, one would think.  After all, the youngest, Bella, was seven, the oldest, John Luke was fourteen. Sadie was twelve and Will was eight. We were way past me having to monitor the whole bathing process. 

So, I relaxed in the kitchen, talking to a friend, silently patting myself on the back for such a smooth week. When out of nowhere, I heard the most blood curdling scream (whatever blood curdling is) from the hall bathroom. Running with the speed of an aging-Olympian-wanna-be, I hurdled the living room chair and threw open the door to the bathroom. Will was standing outside the shower holding a towel to his mouth. Now, as a former child myself, former mom of young kids, former camp director, AND former school teacher, I know that when a kid holds a towel to his mouth and is screaming, what’s under there isn’t going to be pretty. My first order of business was to calm Will and then to access the damage. 

I quickly noticed there was no blood on the towel—good sign—but it was clear Will was in considerable pain, so something bad had happened. With some soft talking and calm reassurance, I was finally able to get Will to release his death-grip on the towel and let me take a look at the damage. Sure enough, the bad news was Will’s permanent front tooth was now half its former self. The good news — a fairly bad slip in the shower didn’t do more damage than a chipped tooth. I helped Will dry off and put on some pajamas, and then I guided him to the couch. Of course, all the while I’m asking him, “What happened?” It’s always a mom’s (grandma’s) job to find out exactly how a kid damaged themselves, right? For some reason we think it will help if we know how it happened. Oh, well! Next, I got an ice pack and some Tylenol to give him some relief from the pain and turned on his favorite TV show. Soon, he went on to sleep with no trouble. The next morning, he didn’t complain one time, but as he ate his breakfast, I noticed he took small bites and to the side of this mouth. I hurt for him. The accident was over, but the pain, and a little disfigurement, was still there.

Do you think God winces as He watches us struggle to recover following the heartaches, painful situations, and tragedies in our life? I know he does. Just as we, parents and grandparents, hurt for our children, He hurts for us. More than that, He understands our losses and grief, our pain and brokenness, because He has been there too. Isaiah 43 tells us this, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God.” How comforting it is to know that we are not alone in our pain.

God, our father, is not sitting in His living room, patting Himself on the back for a job well done. No, He is carefully watching every move we make, ready to leap over the couch to our rescue. He doesn’t even hound us with “What happened?” He just quietly offers us His loving ice pack to ease our pain—no questions asked. 

As for Will’s tooth, the pain subsided, but the tooth required a little attention from the dentist. He’s grown now, but he hasn’t forgotten that terrible day. Me either. There is no pain now, just memories. We’re even able to laugh a little at the situation. If you’re hurting over events that have happened in your life, whether they were your decisions or the decisions of others, ask God to help you heal from those hurts. 

Max Lucado says it’s essential during prayer to talk to God about what hurts us physically. And to let God speak to that and to comfort us, to bring wisdom into that part of our lives. Such wise advice!

 Psalm 107:19, 20 tells us that when we cry out to the Lord in trouble, he will save us from our distress. 

Dear Lord,

We confess our need for you to intervene in our lives. We need your healing hand to rest on our heads and give us wellbeing, peace and protection. Thank you, that we can ask and know what we ask for will be heard and steps will be taken to bring us comfort. You’re a good, good father. 

In Jesus’ name, Amen

Have a great week