“Mom, I need you.” My hands stopped dinner preparations and my heart constricted as my eyes took in the sight.
Our ten-year-old diabetic daughter was having trouble getting enough blood to fill her pre-dinner test strip. I assisted her, and we celebrated her “in range” result.
As she left the kitchen, I reflected on how drastically her life had changed: life without a functioning pancreas meant much testing, much consideration, and much planning. No more spontaneous trips for ice cream on the way to the park.
“Lord, I so wish I could take it from her. I would gladly trade spots and take the disease if she could be freed from it.” Freed from the constant testing, the pricking pokes, the daily disturbance.
I yearned to see her back as the carefree giggly girl we once knew.
Jesus knows that yearning.
He watched as humanity, his brothers and sisters, were trapped in this world without a close relationship with God. How they suffered much testing. How they must consider, how they must plan for the future. No more spontaneous walks in the garden in the cool of the day, enjoying causal conversations with God.
We read in Hebrews 4:15a, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weakness.”
Yes, Jesus understands my mother’s heart of wishing to take the burden of diabetes from my sweet daughter and carry it myself. He knows because He has felt that deep love. He knows because He has felt that brokenness. He knows because He determined to take our sin burdens on Himself.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, so that whoever shall believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 NIV
Jesus loves us with wild abandon.
Jesus ached to see us unweighted by sin.
Jesus had the power to ease us out from under that burden of sin.
So He did. At the greatest cost to Himself.
His eyes are already on our situations. He sees what we are living with. Just as I desperately yearn to see our daughter carefree once more, He can’t wait to witness our new-found freedom of living out from under the weight of sin. He wants to see us freed from the testing by the enemy, the pokes to our hearts and the disturbance in our lives.
He died for us out of love. He had the power to trade us places. He took our burden so we could enjoy a close relationship with God.
Sin does not need to rule life anymore. Allow that to settle over each of us.
Allow our hearts to rejoice and to quietly accept His great offering by admitting, “Lord, I need You.”
Prayer: Dear Lord, how easily I forget why You came: You don’t want us to suffer needlessly in this life, weighted by heavy burdens. Thank You for choosing the cross. Thank You for taking my place. Thank You for freeing me to live life carefree, and abundantly through You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.