Of Wounds, Cleansing and Relief

Today a dear friend's daughter went down the hill behind our house on her bike and ended up scraping her knee and elbow raw on the concrete sidewalk. Her mother carried her up to my home in her arms reassuring her through her cries and tears that she would be all right. I noted later how my help wasn't really help at all. I got ice and some bandaids but all I could think to offer was pain relief. I offered to run to the pharmacy to pick up some Bactene spray to ease her suffering and wondered if we had any liquid tylenol that wouldn't be past its expiration date. Her mother asked if she could put her in the tub. Her wounds needed bathed. I realized later that what she really needed was just what her mother was offering... not relief from pain but more pain at least for a little bit in order to cleanse her wounds so that they would have an opportunity to heal properly... nothing I was offering was going to provide her with what she needed most. I wondered at this later... why my thoughts and concerns were all about easing her pain. I am grateful her mother was focused on her care, her true need and not to relieve her pain... at least not until the necessary work was done... what a picture to me of God's love. How often I want the immediate relief of suffering and have no thought for the work that the pain must do to prepare me for what I most need....