Last night, my little 2-week-old son woke me up with his crying.
As to be expected at 1:00 am, I was a little dazed at first. My immediate instinct was to soothe him in any way possible. I put my hand on his chest. I fished around for his pacifier and tried to put that in his mouth.
After a minute, I realized he wasn’t going back to sleep, and was ready to eat.
I pulled my body up from the comfy sheets, propped up my pillows, pulled him from his bassinet, and fed him for a half hour in the dark.
Motherhood is a sacrifice. A sacrifice of my body. My comfort. My sleep. My time. My mental resources.
But this sacrifice refines me into a more selfless, more kind, more fulfilled, and hopefully more Christlike person.
Could I ever ignore or forget my son’s cries in the middle of the night? It’s hard to even imagine.
And yet, our Savior will forget us even less than a mother and her newborn son.
When we cry out in pain, his immediate instinct is to comfort. Except he knows exactly how we need to be comforted each time.
He has given us a greater sacrifice than even a mother who has birthed a child. His body was broken for us. His emotional energy was depleted for us. His mortal life was ended for us.
He has sacrificed so much for us, that he could never forget us.
He has graven us upon the palms of his hands.
Do we remember that we can cry out to him? Do we trust that he really will respond every time in exactly the way that we need? Do we know that his sacrifice for us forges a connection that can never be lost?
Or do we think we can just figure this out alone. That no one would help us even if we asked. That no one really cares about our well-being.
The Lord will not forget us. He has never. And he will never.
He is aware of our every action and thought and move. He knows when we are in pain. He knows when we are confused. He knows when we just need a break.
All we need to do is trust that he really is there. At 1:00 am, or whenever we need him, he is there.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
