So, Evie has RSV (a type of respiratory infection.)  Halim has done some reading and pretty much every kid will get this by the age of 2; she is 9 months so I guess it’s just her time.  But it is horrible.  I realize it is nothing compared to children who have really terrible lifelong or traumatic illnesses.  But, Evie is coughing almost constantly and often to the point where she vomits up mucus.  (This is a good sign, it means the junk is getting out of her lungs.)  The doctor said that she is wheezing a little – not a good sign – so prescribed us an inhaler for a few days.  It is miserable.

Ugh.  As I look at my little girl, my heart is breaking.  It physically hurts me to watch her in so much pain.  My greatest desire right now is for her to be well.  Sadly, it is beyond my ability to do this.

I was thinking about this yesterday while I was holding her and she just kept coughing.  The Lord obviously loves His children with a greater love than I have for my little Evie.  His heart grieves to see us in pain and suffering.  Yet, He has the ability to stop it at any moment.  He could look at any of His children’s suffering and simply intervene to take it away.  So, He has the desire to do it and the power.  Why would He not?  It must be because He’s doing something even greater in the midst of the suffering and the pain.  Like persevering our faith.

Because you have to think that for Him to look upon His Son being crucified, to watch every piercing nail and feel every suffocating breath, it must have been excruciating for Him.  And He could have intervened at any moment and made it stop, sent a legion of angels or something.  But, He was accomplishing something greater – the ransoming of a people for Himself.  So Jesus had to stay.

When we, His children, are in pain, in trials, in suffering, and our Father in Heaven sees and hurts with us and loves us, but doesn’t stop it – it’s not because He lacks ability or loves us too little.  He’s just doing something a little bigger than we can comprehend at the moment.  He’s saving our souls.