Unwarranted, worthless worry

There is nothing unnecessary in the Bible. What God has given man to write down is all relevant, useful and significant. I have been trying to get that knowledge out of my head and into my heart when my mind tends toward worry or fear. God says to us, "'Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?'" He tells us, "'...do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!'" (emphasis added).

About three weeks ago, Luke had the crud that's been circulating around, so I took him to the pediatrician's office to make sure his lungs were clear and his ears weren't infected. It was a simple upper respiratory infection, and he was healthy enough to get his flu shot. As is standard procedure, he was weighed at this appointment and the scale read 23 lbs, 3 ounces (that was with socks on). In early August, at his last dietician's appointment, he weighed 20 pounds even. I left the appointment very grateful that his lungs were clear and he was handling this cold very well, but I didn't like that he hadn't gained any weight in almost 3 months.

Our cardiologist was not concerned in the slightest and I took some comfort in that, but still, the worry persisted. I noticed I started thinking more about Luke's food intake, and wanting to push him to eat a bit more (all old habits that I've worked hard to let go of). My head knew that he was okay, that this is so typical of toddlers, but my heart automatically feared that his heart was working too hard.

Fast-forward to our three month follow-up appointment with Luke's dietician this week. I sat him on the scale, waiting to see that digital number pop up, and when it did, it read 24 lbs, 6 oz. 12th percentile, like he always is.

I think God tells us not to worry so often in His Word because that time could be spent so much more usefully. Thank goodness His mercies are new every morning and thank goodness He gives us plenty of situations to practice trusting Him more!


Teaching us to live worry-free, in the moment!

Oh, and thank goodness for weight gain! =) I have to admit, I did a little dance when I saw the scale's number.

We don't go back to see Judy for another SIX months. Our only change is that she wants us to stop using Pediasure altogether and offer him just whole milk. We'll see how that goes, since Luke's so used to the Pediasure taste!

Official stats, for the record:
Weight: 24 lbs, 6.3 ounces - 12th percentile
Height: 2' 7.97" (ok, can we call this 2'8"??) - 10th percentile
Head circumference: 47.8 cm - 30th percentile

Luke, you keep me on my toes, or more accurately, on my knees, so I thank you for that!