The Most Horrible Thing

I had to take Seth to get his 12 month shots yesterday. It was a heart-wrenching experience to say the least! The nurse immediately stated that Seth would be needing 7 SHOTS! Of course, I freaked and asked, "Why so many?!" After my confessed concern, she found her mistakes and the total was reduced to 5....still a lot of torture for my little man, but better than the alternative. I was unaware of the fact that they could've also combined the shots to minimize the number of punctures he would recieve, and so ignorantly, I held Seth's little hand while they commenced to gouge his little thighs with five needles. It was horrible to watch him go through such repeated pain. I know....I know, it was the best thing for him, but it was still a grueling experience. I was pretty upset when I found out that she could have combined the shots and never told me! Anyways, after that experience, my thoughts reverted back to the relentless punishment that the Son of God endured. I couldn't help but think about Jesus on the Cross, and the Father having to turn his head from His one and only Son as he suffered so intensely. At least I was able to comfort my son, God had to turn from His Son because Jesus became sin on the Cross for our forgiveness. For the first time in all of eternity or all eternity to come, Jesus and the Father were separated from communion together, as evidenced in Matthew 27:46. I cannot fathom the weight of that moment. It boggles me. The love, the sacrifice, the victory....it is all so deep. It is hard for me to let my son go through agony even when it is for his own benefit, much less letting him endure it for someone else! God's love amazes me...and it challenges me to confront my own shallow version of love and delve deeper and deeper into that Love that knelt at that whipping post, bore the shame, endured the mockery, and hung there on that Cross over 2,000 years ago.