identification even with abandonment

When I've gone through some hard things in life, good friends have reminded me and comforted me that because Jesus walked the earth as fully human, he entered into the same kinds of brokenness I experience. He identifies with my struggles. He understands. I am deeply comforted knowing that I'm not alone in my aches, that Jesus faithfully endured them...and, in fact he endured much more than me.

Then, we're told in 2 Corinthians 1, that one of the great things about enduring hardships is that we, then, can comfort those who go through the same troubles.

As I was thinking about our child, aching and racking my brain about how I won't be able to relate to many of their sources of brokenness, I sort of suddenly realized: what an unbelievable, matchless, glorious, suffering Savior! Jesus, son of God, was abandoned by His father. ("My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?") Jesus knows the depth of the pain of being abandoned...not just by His father...but by the Creator of the world.

Perhaps our child will be resilient. Perhaps they will easily know that he/she was not abandoned for lack of love or because of something he/she did. Perhaps he/she will not struggle to believe they are loved. But no matter what, I now know that Jesus has earned credibility in their sorrow. Jesus can identify with them and I can point my child(ren) to Him to comfort them in their pain. I'm so, so thankful.