The Flame Within

It’s 2:45a.m. I lie here… Darkness surrounding me. Having just returned to my bed… Everyone else in my home sleeping… Here I lay… Here I ponder.

45 minutes ago I was sound asleep… My sweet daughter began screaming in pain. As I attempted to quickly alert my droggy self awake. It felt like hours before I jumped out of bed… although in real time it was more like 1/2 a second. But when your child screams in pain… The speed of light can’t get you to their side fast enough.

Picking her up she’s frightened… Big tears escaping her cheeks… She informs me it’s her leg. Upon further “early” morning evaluation I mentally diagnose her with a nasty old… Extremely painful Charlie horse.

Rubbing her tiny little calf muscle… Trying my hardest to help her feel better… I tell her the story of my first “painful” Charlie horse. As my little girl lies on my lap in terrible pain, having no understanding of the medical reasoning behind her sudden misery… I speak to my sweet little girl words that shock myself. “Sweetheart, mommy is so sorry! I know it hurts! ” I WISH I COULD TAKE THIS NASTY OLD CHARLIE HORSE FOR YOU,”. Wait… What did I just say? “I’ll take that Charlie horse?”

Charlie horses are PAINFUL! I despise Charlie horses!

This is motherhood…. Wishing you could take our children’s pain unto ourselves. Even a nasty old PAINFUL Charlie horse… Why? Because my love for my child is greater than my fear of pain… Greater even than the pain of a nasty old… Agonizing… Miserable Charlie horses.

That is love at it’s finest… Willing to take on the most excruciating pain… Willing to take your child’s first Charlie horse upon yourself… For the sake of love!

Kinda reminds me of another story… The story of Jesus’s death on a nasty old cross at Calvary.

Wow! He must’ve REALLY loved us!