Healing Hurts

My son, Charlie, is a lot like his dad.  All three of my sons, of course, bear Mark's resemblance, but Charlie seems to have received the greatest chunk of the "Mark" genes.  For the most part, this is a good thing.  Of course, as parents, there are always things we hope our children DON'T get from us and one of things Mark hoped his kids would avoid was his proclivity for canker sores.  These awful ulcers pop up inside Mark's mouth on a regular basis and unfortunately, Charlie has already had his fair share of them.

Charlie tends to endure pain in silence.  The kid has had a broken leg and a broken arm,  a horrible herpes infection in his eyes and pneumonia.  Most of these illnesses/injuries he suffered through while quietly playing Legos on the floor.  He can take a lot, so I know he is really hurting when he comes to me with heavy, downcast eyes to ask for help.

The other day I discovered that Charlie has had two large canker sores in his mouth for days, trying to deal with the discomfort on his own.  He mentioned this to me at bedtime and with more than a little hesitation.  We both knew what we were likely facing and neither of us were excited about it.

We have several approaches we take for pain relief when dealing with canker sores.  First, I offer him warm milk or yogurt.  Both are very soothing, but do little for his pain.  They make him feel better for a few minutes and maybe get his mind off the severity for a little while.  This is always our first approach because we both know the next option for pain relief is also the only one we have left - and the least desirable.

KANKA.  Ever hear of it?  It's this little vial of thick, orangish-yellow, strong smelling liquid.

This stuff is either from the devil or from God - depending on your perspective.

KANKA can be applied directly to a canker sore.  When applied, the patient will experience up to a minute or more of intense burning (MORE PAIN) until the medication actually anesthesizes the sore.

This is how we do it.

Me:  "Charlie, do you want me to use KANKA?"

Charlie:  "No."

Me:  "Are you sure?"

Charlie:  "It will burn!"

Me:  "I know, but then it will feel so much better, right?"

Charlie:  "Yeah.  But it burns so much when you put it on!"

Me:  "I know.  I'm not going to force you, Son.  If you want me to help you, I will put the KANKA medicine on it.  If not, you can just drink some more milk to see if that helps."

Charlie (now crying):  "That won't help."

Me:  "Well, then, do you want me to do it?"

Charlie:  "I guess so."

Now picture the scene.  A nine year old boy follows me into the bathroom, silently crying, dreading what's to come but resolved because he knows he can trust me and he knows from experience that even though he will hurt more first, he will hurt less eventually.  Then, he submits himself to my hands and stands perfectly still while I apply this stinging medicine on the sores in his mouth.  We work together and within a few minutes he is finally experiencing real relief.  His whole countenance changes.  He walks to the breakfast table with a smile on his face, sits down and enjoys a meal for the first time in days.

There's a spiritual application here, of course.

How many times have I endured pain silently because I was afraid to submit myself to the healing hand of the Father?  How many times have I assumed a path to healing was from the enemy simply because that path wasn't pain free?

Too many times.

Yes, healing hurts.  But only for a moment.

And His hands are gentle as he applies the medicine that brings me relief.  I can trust Him.