A Painful Welcome

My son, Henry Ryder, was born 11 days ago.  We seem to be settling into a nice routine around the house now, but that was not before spending a week in the hospital (5 days for him) and most of that with him in the NICU.  Ryder was born about 3 1/2 weeks early.  Katrina suffered from pre-eclampsia, so both of them had a difficult birth.  As Ryder was in NICU, my wife was recovering from surgery.  I went back and forth, between their rooms about every two hours.

During the first two days, Ryder was lethargic from a Magnesium Sulfate IV that Katrina received for her safety during and after the delivery.  He also had low blood sugar and high bilirubin levels.  The only time Ryder woke, was when he was being poked with needles.

Besides the not knowing the status of my wife after surgery, one of the most difficult times I had was when Ryder was having his blood drawn for many lab tests.  During this test, they pricked his heal (one of many times) with one of those diabetes tools and then squeezed his heal to drain the blood.  This time seemed to take much longer than the previous tests.  He cried and cried.  The longer it took, I started to feel sick.  It was getting hot in the room and I just wanted it to stop.  I did not say anything, because I knew the tests were for the best, but I just wanted to hear the nurse say the words, "I am finished", or "That is all", or "All done".  Ryder would not know what that meant, but I would.  He is my only son.  I love him and just wanted the pain and suffering to stop.

Later, I started thinking about those words and why they sounded so familiar.  Then I thought about God the Father and His Only Son (John 1:18, 3:16, 3:18, 1 John 4:9) and the love He has for Him.  Our heavenly Father is a Father who is proud of His Son (Matthew 17:5, John 8:29).  Then I thought of Jesus.  He existed with God the Father in eternity.  He had the majesty of God in eternity, but then willingly set that aside and became like us.

 ⁵Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
 ⁶Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
 ⁷But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
 ⁸And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  (Philippians 2:5-8) 

Then I thought of the suffering described in Isaiah 53 and how God the Father would be "satisfied" by the anguish of His Son's soul.  Not satisfied as in taking pleasure, but satisfied as in meeting the requirement of ransoming a people to Himself.

Finally, I thought about when Jesus was actually on the cross, after suffering brutal punishment.  So much torture that He did not even look like a man (Isaiah 52:14).  I can, to some small degree, imagine how relieved God the Father was to finally hear His Beloved Son, Whom He had with Him in eternity, utter those words "It is finished" (John 19:30).  The suffering was over, the exact price was paid to accomplish His plan and His Son was coming home (John 8:14).

I am so thankful for my son and already love him so much.  I cannot imagine giving my son to be punished and killed for what someone else had done, but then again, I am not God.  I am just called to be a believer in Him and His plan.  I am just called to follow the most humble and giving example I have ever seen.