The Bravest Kids I Know

Late last night I had to take Tyler, my 2 year old , to the ER due to a high fever and being very lethargic. He just laid in my arms making that repeated whimpering noise. I stuck my fingers in his ears and swirled them about, this calms him down and puts him to sleep. I'm sure people walking by thought I was nuts for digging in his ears in public, but I promise I was just swirling.
When we were called back to a room, I changed his clothes into a hospital gown with space ships and doggies on it. He looked really cute and small in it. He laid on the table and I leaned over him to swirl his ears and sing songs to him, while he played with my hair. I'm sure we were a sight! But it calmed him down. They came in, 3 nurses and a doctor, to take blood from him and put an IV in his hand. He had already had 5 xrays, and he was so good for that. But I wasn't sure how the IV was going to happen for him. I personally think that the IV is the worst part of the hospital experience. Keep in mind I have had 2 C-sections and 3 other surgery's that were just like C-sections, so I'm no stranger to pain. but the IV is just what I dread the most.
I stood on one side of his bed, all the others were scattered around him. I looked into his eyes and called his name, told him he was being so big. They stuck him with the needle, and he looked down at his hand for a second, then looked up at me, said "OUCH" and that was it. they put the IV in, his little fat hand strapped down with all these tubes and tape. He wasn't sure about the tape, he's not a band-aid kind of kid.
We sat around some more with an IV drip trying to make sure he wasn't dehydrated. Tyler got bored and he wanted off my lap, so I put his socks back on his feet, and we walked up the hallway.
Now, picture this.....a little boy, maybe 3 feet tall, hospital gown draping the floor, diaper showing in the back, IV hanging from his arm and me following behind with the rolling pole with the bag attached . He walked up that hallway saying Hi and Bye to everyone. He was very brave. It was so sweet and really, really cute.
As we were walking, I thought about all the moms that do this with their children too much because their children are really sick. About the children that don't even flinch at a needle anymore because they are so used to them. I thought about the heartache of the children that can't even smile, and how brave they are. There was a little boy with a fractured skull next to us, and I just kept thinking how lucky we were that all we were dealing with was a fever. Those children are all so brave!
I don't envy the parents that have sick children and what they go through. But even with Tyler's little fever, I had faith. And Faith is exactly what everyone needs at a hospital. Faith will see you through everything. It may not be instant gratification, like it was with us last night-we got to go home after his fever broke. But God does things in His own time and with His own infinite knowledge. We can't see the future and we don't know what will be good for us tomorrow or the next day. But God can.
All He wants is for us to ask.
God gives us a wonderful invitation.... " Ask and it shall be given to you." Praying in faith is praying with power. So next time, no matter what your issue is, put a little faith behind that prayer you whisper in your time of need, and stand back and witness God's awesome power.
Now, he might not have cried when they did the IV, or blood work. But when she took his temperature up his bum, he balled like a baby.......so maybe not the bravest kid I know....but awfully close!