Snot for the Weak of Stomach

Tending to a sick child can be extremely demanding.  There is the emotional stress of watch your little one suffer through fever, chills, and vomiting among other things.  There is also the side effects the sickness has on the child's temperament which in turn can cause adverse side effects in the worried and worn caregiver.  There is also the accompanying sleep deprivation that often occurs with illness.  Yet, the process of taking care of Sophia, who has had  a fever and a cough since early this morning, has me wondering.

Part of me is wondering if there is an analogy that can be drawn between a parent's struggle with a sick child, and God's providential care for his children.  I know that God doesn't worry, because he knows all things.  I also  know that God doesn't get wore out, nor are his responses determined by the disposition of his children.  But at some level I can't help but feel that some aspect of care giving is a reflection of God's care for his children.  I know God loves us and cares for us.  I know we love our children and care for them.  But does the comparison stop there?  Is the connection deeper?

This experience and previous ones like it have me thinking that difficult circumstances have a greater potential for growth in love and Christlikeness than less difficult circumstances.  It is easy enough to care for someone when everything is going well and the two of you are getting along like peaches and creme.  However, when the rules change and a battle of wills begin, it takes greater effort to provide the appropriate care.

Once the decision to love is made, difficult circumstances cause a stretching effect.  The commitment forces one to pursue every appropriate option in order to demonstrate their love to the other person.  As a person cares for another who is dependent upon them, they are forced to make a choice.  They will either refuse to render the care necessary, they will render the necessary care without any attachment, or they will render the necessary care with the appropriate attachment.  The last choice is the best choice, because it is the choice that Christ made.  But when we choose to follow him in making that choice, we are stretched beyond ourselves, and learn to love in a deeper more meaningful way.

Sickness if never welcomed, especially when it attacks one of our loved ones, but the lessons that sickness can teach us should be welcomed.  We should realize that Christ has placed us in his school to teach us to love like him.  He wants us to have compassion on the weak and needy.  He wants us to love like him.  May be we will learn those lessons without difficulty, but I doubt we'd learn them as quickly or with a more lasting impression.  Hardship leaves a mark.  If we go through it with Christ, in his power and for his glory, the mark will have positive, long lasting implications.

The Gospel According to Luke

I started reading through the Gospel of Luke today. I was struck by three themes God's sovereignty, his covenantal faithfulness, and his providential care for his people. There is no doubt that the Scriptures present God as Sovereign. Luke's Gospel is no different. God' s sovereignty is demonstrated in his pronouncements concerning John the Baptist and Jesus. It is further demonstrated by his opening of the barren womb and then the virgin womb.

Mary states, "He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever" (Luke 1:54-55). And Zechariah proclaims that Jesus' coming was "to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham" (Luke 1:72-73). We should not underestimate the importance of covenant faithfulness. The covenantal promises defined the people of God and their relationship to them. Just as Israel's identity was tied to the Old Covenant, so our identity as believers is tied to the New Covenant. But more important than the Covenant is the One on whom the Covenant rests. It was God who promised, and confirmed it with an oath, and God cannot lie. Jesus' coming is demonstrated to be the fulfillment of the promises and the completion of the covenant.

We also see God's providential care in Luke's Gospel. He demonstrates God's providential care through his references to the ordering of circumstances. Such facts as "in the days of Herod," "[Zechariah] was chosen by lot," and "the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David" (Luke 1:5, 9, 26-27) all demonstrate God's ordering and his care. These events are no mere coincidence, but a clear plan emerges as we are reminded that these events have been forth-told by the Lord through His prophets.

These concepts are the heart and soul of practical theology. God's sovereignty, His covenantal faithfulness, and His providential care are all practical matters. If we understand these realities correctly they will shape our lives and bring us great confidence in the Lord. They help us to move beyond our circumstances and feelings. They aid us in pressing forward in faith and obedience, confident in the knowledge that God is in control and he cares for us.