A Love Like That

As you can tell from my lack of blog posts this past week, we have been having a tough time!  We were attacked by the Rotavirus.  

My son Lucas had the mildest case.  He had the Rotavirus vaccine when he was a baby.  I think that helped him to hold his own through the illness.

Lucas just wanted to rest and watch TV

My daughter Ella started showing symptoms on Thursday which was her first birthday.  She did not get the vaccine which might explain why she was hit so hard by the illness.  The Rotavirus vaccine is a "live" vaccine.  At the time she was eligible for the vaccine, I was going through cancer treatments so they were not able to give her the shot.  It would be too contagious for me to be around with a compromised immune system.

Ella in the ER before she was admitted.

She was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday.  She had gone from 19 pounds to 17 pounds in just a few days.  They gave her IV hydration and a prescription diaper cream.

Watching Ella suffer was heart breaking.  She was mildly dehydrated when she got to the ER so they had trouble "sticking" her for the blood draw and the IV fluids.  She screamed in pain.  I wanted to take her place.  I sat there wishing there was a way to trade places with her,  a machine that would allow me to absorb her illness and let her be free of it.  I was willing to take her place.  

Ella after she was admitted and feeling better.
She is in her quarantine "bubble"

It got me thinking about that kind of love.  A parent's love for their child is so great.  Was there any greater love?  Yes!  When Jesus took our place on the cross, he traded places with us.  We deserved  to be punished for our sins but he took our place- a love so great!  God's love was so great that he gave his son to take our place so that we could live eternally in Heaven.

I have known this since I was a child but it really hit home as I was sitting there in the hospital.  I felt a deeper appreciation for the sacrifice that was made for me.

Ella was finally well enough to open her
birthday presents a week later.

We are not all at 100% yet but we are healing.  Feeling a new appreciation for my children's health.  I need to remember not to take that for granted.  Feeling blessed to have the love of God!