Articles
The Pain of Being A Parent
Have you ever had a time in your life when your child had to undergo a painful procedure?
Our children face things in their lives like dental procedures, illnesses, treatment for injuries, and
surgeries that we know from our own experiences are difficult and painful. As a parent, I often
wish I could take their place and go through that ordeal myself so they would not have to face it
at all. I think this goes deeper than we realize at times. If a stranger were going through the same
type of things, we would feel sorry for them, but it is just not the same as when it is your own
child. The love component of our relationship, that deep bond we have, makes it personal and it
can even seem to make us feel the anxiety and pain ourselves.
We have a God that loves us even more than we can imagine and understand. Our Creator,
the One who made the universe and breathed life into man from the dust of the earth, feels our
pain. The sin of man separated humanity from God and filled the world with death. God wanted
to take our place and take away our pain. Jesus came to take our place and save us. “But God
demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”
(Romans 5:8). “But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed” (Isaiah
53:5).
God showed His love by taking our place and one day we will see Him face to face and the
last separation will be taken away. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no
more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away”
(Revelation 21:4). Like a loving parent, God longs to comfort us. ~Brad Tolbert
