Our One and Only Sons

I (Michele) was not feeling well this weekend. My very capable husband stepped in to write this week’s blog. Thanks honey!

Have you ever had a surreal, almost out-of-body experience? Sadly, I had such an experience yesterday. One minute my son was fine, playing in the backyard with his cousins, and the next minute he’s being carried into the house – covered with blood with a gash in his head gushing blood. Bit by bit, I received the information about the accident. There was a toy plane. Both he and his cousin wanted it. They bumped heads. The feeling of helplessness was almost overwhelming. I began praying. After wiping up some of the blood, thankfully, I saw God’s grace right after the accident. The cut wasn’t on his face but within his hairline. Plus, his cousin was fine.

Just as I caught my breath, I realized the hard part was yet to come. This was a head injury. So, I had to take him to the hospital. And I had to tell his mom. “There was an accident, our son hurt his head,” I nervously had to tell my wife over the phone. “There is a lot of blood and I am taking him to the emergency room. Please meet us there.”

Later, after talking with my wife, we both had the same fears. “Please God not our son, not our one and only son. We can’t have another. Please don’t let anything happen to him.”

It wasn’t too long before my wife met us there. My shirt was covered with my son’s blood, I was definitely a sight. Praise God, my wife alerted a prayer army. A few minutes later, we were joined by them – our pastor, his wife, as well as a fellow minister and his wife. The prayer warriors had sent the prayers ahead of us to the hospital. The Bible tells us that the “fervent, effectual prayer of a righteous person availeth much (James 5:16).” I am sure our prayers helped to transform the situation. What was a terrible, heart-wrenching experience turned into a lesson in faith. Soon, my feeling of helplessness was superseded by God’s endless capacity to handle all situations. And my uncertainty about our son’s diagnosis was replaced by my confidence in God, who had the final prognosis.

Eventually, the doctor on call informed us of our son’s condition. It was a minor incident and he would be fine. With a prescription for antibiotics and the help of glue (to close the wound), we were all sent home.

The next day, my wife pointed out that the entire incident was a microcosm of the sacrifice of Jesus. She reiterated that God faced this same situation more than 2,000 years ago when His one and only Son was placed in harm’s way for us. You see, our son is our one and only son. In both cases, there was blood spilled and that’s where the comparisons end. God gave us back our son. But God the Father and God the Son didn’t hold anything back. The Father gave his Son completely and his only Son, Jesus Christ, gave his all for us.

Sometimes, Christians fail to realize the enormity of the sacrifice for our sins. When I look at my son’s accident through that perspective, I am even more thankful for Christ, his sacrifice and his enduring love and how the love of Jesus continues to bless us all.