NOT A PROBLEM!

By Angela Hernandez

It was the end of another long, hectic day. My husband had been away on business for almost three weeks, and caring for our eight-year-old son and a two-month-old baby on my own had been a new and challenging experience. I was looking forward to some much-needed sleep, when my baby became fussy. In a matter of minutes he developed a high fever and vomited. For the next couple of hours I comforted him and tried to calm him down.

Finally he seemed to be going to sleep, which meant I would be able to get some sleep too, but by the time I got myself ready for bed and was about to lie down, he started vomiting again. I got up, changed him, and cleaned up the mess, but no sooner had I finished when he threw up again—this time all over me. So I went through the entire cleanup routine again, only to have to go through it again a fourth time a couple of minutes later.

Thankfully, after that he fell into a peaceful sleep. As I lay there watching him sleep, I thought about what had just happened. Although he had made a mess of himself several times, I didn’t mind having to clean him up over and over. I didn’t feel disgusted at him in the least, and the thought of distancing myself from him because of his messes never crossed my mind. To the contrary, love compelled me to take him into my arms, care for him, and make him feel safe and loved.

Jesus, I reflected, is like that with us. Regardless of how many times we mess up, He’s always there, ready to take us into His arms, clean us up, and make us feel loved and secure. His love for us isn’t in any way diminished by our sins and shortcomings, and whenever we turn to Him for help, He’s always there for us. He understands our frailties and loves us anyway, and nothing can separate us from His love. •

“The loving-kindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting to those who reverence Him” (Psalm 103:17 TLB).

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you” (Isaiah 49:15).