Christopher doesn’t like to be held by me that much because he likes to play on his own and he doesn’t like to my warm body to be near his. I don’t mind this kind of rejection because it makes him very easy to take care of.
Yesterday afternoon, Karen and I took Christopher to the get 3 immunization shots, one on the right thigh and two on the left. The doctor told us that he might be in discomfort for awhile, but it’s okay. We just need to watch out for fever. In the evening after dinner, Christopher started to really cry. So far, he has been a happy baby, crying only when he was hungry. But this time, we knew that he was in pain because his tears came out. We discovered that his right thigh was red and swollen from the shot. We gave him a warm bath to sooth the swelling, but he still cried. Karen tried to put him down to calm him, but he would cry all the more. Finally, I tried to hold him to see if he would find comfort from me. I didn’t expect it, but he calmed down. And I recall that whenever he was in pain (circumcision and blood test for jaundice), I was there to be with him. Maybe, I speculate, he knew that things would be okay when daddy was around. I don’t know what he was thinking, but I was really pleased that he could find comfort and rest in me.
This incident helped me realize how much God, my Heavenly Father, would be pleased if I were to go to him when I was sick or feeling down or struggling emotionally, physically and/or spiritually. Prophet Isaiah declares: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God” (Isaiah 40:1). Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-29: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” If I, an imperfect earthly father, can have so much compassion for my child, then how much more God, my perfect Heavenly Father, would desire to love me, to have compassion on me, and to hold my hand in the metaphorical and spiritual sense. I want to please Him more by finding rest and comfort from Him.