In Times of Sickness

Here is a post from a few years back that I wanted to share today.

Well, it's been very quite here because it's been very hectic at home. My older children have been dancing around with one cold or another and they have finally gotten the baby sick. She has been cranky and miserable. Needless to say this has led to decreased sleep and increased fatigue for me and dad. This has led to my succumbing to the cold that has been floating around as well. You never want to see your children sick but it's even harder when it's your baby that is hardly a month old. I think the hardest part is having to do things that are to help them get better but causes them distress. My baby has been very congested and it has made it hard for her to breathe, sleep and eat. In order to help her breathe better so she can sleep and eat better as well as prevent a sinus and possible ear infections we have sucked the mucus out of her sinuses with a nose syringe. We have also used a saline rinse to clean her sinuses. This of course made her very upset and mad. Doing something like this that upsets her so much is very distressing to me, dad, and her big sister who has been helping us. It makes you feel bad to do something that you know bothers them so much but you also know that it is for their good because if you didn't do it there would be bigger and more painful consequences down the road. If we avoided the discomfort of cleaning her nose because of it upsetting her we would have worse problems like sinus and ear infections that can lead to further issues and may result in having to go to the hospital. There are many times in life when we are faced with something that upsets us, makes us feel uncomfortable, frustrated, or mad. Many times when we are faced with these situations we often desire to avoid them as much as possible. However, what we don't realize is that these few moments of distress are not here just to upset us but rather to help us so we can get better or rather become better. And when we avoid them we actually take a path that leads us to more consequences or harder more upsetting situations than the ones we were in to begin with. As hard as it is to do these things that upset my baby so much, I know it is what will help her the best and provide her with the opportunity to get better. As I know this about my own child I know that this is also what God is doing for us, His children. I know it does not bring Him joy to see us upset when we are asked to do something that upsets us but He knows that these are but for a moment and are for our good and will be less upsetting than the alternative if we don't face it. If you find yourself in a situation that is less than ideal take a moment to see what it is here to help you overcome it. This may just help you find the perspective you need to be patient while you bare these things.