Ok, so Hannah has eczema. The dry patches first appeared when she was about 3 months old, so I took her to the doctor. She said it's common enough and to just put lotion on her daily. So, that's what I did. Turns out, Hannah doesn't like to be slathered in lotion twice a day. She would cry (read: scream as if she's dying) every time I put it on her. Those giant tears rolling down her cheeks and those pitiful wails 'bout broke my heart! But did I stop putting the medication on her? No, of course not. It was good for her. It was going to heal her. She didn't like it...and I knew that. But I also knew that she couldn't understand the true purpose for it. She could only feel and understand the discomfort it caused her in the moment...she didn't know that it would make her better in the long run.
Oh, thank you, dear daughter, for being a mirror for me! I am a lot like you. How many times have I turned my tear-stained face and wailing heart to heaven, begging God to stop the discomfort of the moment? Too many. And how many times have I paused in my pain to ask if He has a deeper purpose for it? Too few. Jesus sees my "dry patches" and His desire is to heal and hydrate. Now I understand a bit more of His heart, and how it breaks to ease my pain....but not the temporary pain. He longs to bring eternal healing. I pray I can learn to trust Him more completely. He knows what's good for me.