He tends his flock like a Shepard: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.
Coworker Petra and I arrived at Sheba Hospital this morning to find Layan’s mother beaming with the news that Layan would finally be discharged!
After spending over a month in the hospital, we celebrated with her mother who is able to return home and be with her two-year-old daughter.
Layan is doing great. She finally reached two kilograms and is bottle-feeding wonderfully.
Today was also a milestone for us (the Shevet Achim crew) as we got to hold little Layan for the first time. Petra spent time with this precious little girl, giving her a much-needed infant massage, while Layan’s mother and I went downstairs for coffee and talked for a while.
It was a sweet time together. Her mother is still very quiet and gentle, but she shared how excited she is to finally be going home.
When we returned to the room, we had to wait a while for the official word that Layan could leave. During that time Petra stepped out to run a few errands, and Layan’s mother also left for a little while. For nearly an hour it was just me and this petite, gentle, precious little girl who smiles in her sleep.
Holding her made me think so much about God’s love for His children – it was almost overwhelming. This little girl is unimaginably precious in her parents’ eyes, and she is loved by our staff as well. Her parents delight in her, protect her, and we all celebrate every milestone. Yet even that love is only a faint reflection of the love our Heavenly Father has for each of us. What an incredible honor it is when a child trusts you enough to fall asleep in your arms. It made me wonder if our Father feels a similar delight when we trust Him enough to rest in His care.
And when she wrapped her tiny hand around our fingers, I thought about how often Scripture calls us to cling to the Lord. I wonder if in some small way, that is what God sees when we reach for Him in faith. Our grip may be weak and imperfect, but perhaps what delights Him is not the strength of our hold, but simply that we reach for Him.
We are loved so much more than we deserve, and that is our hope–we don’t have to earn God’s favor or love, thank you Lord that we don’t have to.
We were also blessed with the honor of personally driving Layan and her family to the border so they could cross into Hebron. Layan is now home with her family, and we are so grateful. Soon Sheba Hospital will reach out to Layan’s mother about a follow-up appointment to see how little Layan is doing. From there we will figure out the next steps in Layan’s care.
We are so grateful that God has preserved her this far.