Our two year old daughter, Emily, had a health problem that we had hoped would
resolve itself as she grew. It had not and the doctor wanted to do an invasive
test on her to find the cause and hopefully fix the problem. The day of the
procedure I took her in, dressed her in a little hospital gown that was much to
big for her, and waited.
A nurse came in and gave her a drug that we were told would help her relax. The
nurse said it might make her sleep but it doesn't work on all children. We knew
our daughter and hoped she would sleep but knew she probably would not. I rocked
her as the drug worked and she fell asleep in my arms.
After a little bit, the nurse came back in to check on Emily. Satisfied she was
asleep, I was instructed to carry her down the hall to a room where the doctor
and several nurses waited. I laid my baby girl down on that cold table and was
told I could wait in a chair over by the wall. They were going to insert a tube
inside her, inject some dye, and then take some pictures. It was an
uncomfortable procedure, to say the least, and I was told that just in case
Emily woke up there would be a nurse on each arm and leg to hold her still. She
did wake up not long after I laid her down and walked away. She struggled to get
up when she realized there were strangers around her holding her down. She was
scared and confused. She could see me sitting in the chair and did not
understand why her Daddy would not come to her rescue. They began the procedure
and she cried over and over, "Daddy, hold you! Daddy, hold you! Daddy, hold
you!" It broke my heart to hear her cry and have to sit back for her own good. I
wanted to grab those nurses holding my baby girl down by the backs of their
uniforms and throw them aside and take her into my arms again. I wanted to be
her protective Daddy and for her to know she was safe.
When it was finally over I did go over and pick her up and carry her to the
rocking chair, hold her close and tell her, "Daddy's sorry it hurt. I'm here. I
love you. Everything is OK."
God is our heavenly Father who loves us and wants to bring us into His arms and
bring us home one day. We go through so much here in this earthly life. Pain,
trials, loss & grief, temptations, and so much heartache. I believe that God,
like Emily's father, hurts over our pain. Why else would He send His Son, Jesus,
to die for us? Because of that sacrifice, we can cry out, "Father, Hold us!" And
even though we don't understand so many things that go on now and we don't know
why we have the pain, we know He will hold us.
"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
Sharon Paxton (Emily's story told by her father, Dusty Rush, at the
International Soul-Winning Workshop in Tulsa, Oklahoma this past March)
Btlfan910@aol.com
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.