Lessons from Parenting - "Mommy won't let you starve"

I have come to realize the great spiritual lessons that can come from being a parent. Once such lesson is in God's provision. As many of you know, Hannah LOVES food! Stopping in the middle of a bottle to burp her is like the end of the world to her (which, thankfully, we can now wait until the end of the bottle to burp her!). As soon as the bottle comes out, she screams! I found myself reassuring her that "Mommy will not let you starve." That's when it hit me. As much as I love and care for Hannah and want nothing but the best for her, that's what God wants for me, but all the more!

I, in my sinful nature, am prone to worry. Recently, I have been worrying about what our financial situation is going to be in the next few months. However, just as I won't let Hannah starve, God won't let me starve. That is not to say that God will not allow me to struggle financially and that He's going to provide great fiscal wealth, but He will meet my basic needs. It may mean eating nothing but Ramen and beans and rice for a while, but even those are a gift from the Lord!

Instead of being anxious and worrying about our future, I need to "store up treasures in heaven" (Matthew 6:19-21). When I have an eternal focus, the worries and anxieties of this world will diminish as I learn to trust in the Lord. Following the passage in Matthew 6, instructing us to store up heavenly treasures instead of earthly treasures, we are instructed not to be anxious about our physical needs (Matt. 6:25-33). I must be diligent in seeking after Christ and His kingdom rather than worrying about how much money we have in our savings account or what bills we have. While I am responsible to be a good steward of those things, they should not consume my thoughts. This is comforting as James and I move forward in the next couple of weeks.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be knowns to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Philippians 4:4-8

On another note, I have been learning more about being a mommy of a sick baby. Last week Hannah had a cold and we were both up most of the night for a couple of nights. With little sleep, my immune system gave in, and I ended up getting a cold as well. God was gracious and we both managed to get through it. However, while Hannah was eating her lunch today, her tummy decided it didn't want it anymore, so it all came back up. She drank her bottle and I was trying to feed her some veggies, which she normally loves and gobbles right up. I should've known something was up when she wouldn't open her mouth for the veggies. I guess it's just the ignorance of a new mom! After she got rid of her lunch, she seemed to act normal and was happy as can be! I'm hoping to be able to give her a little bit of formula later on and that she'll be able to keep it down, so she doesn't end up getting dehydrated.