Wisdom

James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." I need that truth in my life, right now.

Phoebe has a sensitive tummy. That's polite for saying she fusses... after every feeding, in between feedings, before feedings, and occasionally even during them! She screamed almost the entire car-ride home from the hospital as a newborn. That's saying quite a bit considering it takes 45 minutes to travel from the hospital to my home! It wasn't long after that when the idea that she might be allergic to milk surfaced. I greatly reduced my own consumption of milk, and finally switched to a non-dairy formula for the supplementing I need to do. Sure enough, the very next nursing saw her dramatically improved. Great! Problem solved. Or so I thought.

But Phoebe continues to be more fussy than any of my other newborns. She just can't be totally content outside of being held. And she is even persnickety about how she is held, preferring those positions more closely related to burping than snuggling. Also, her sleep is interrupted more often than I think necessary. And finally topping everything is that niggling mother's intuition telling me that something just isn't right. After all, I have completely removed dairy, chocolate, most eggs, citrus, and many spices from my diet along with using a dairy-free formula for any supplements, and she still is not guaranteed to be a happy baby after a feeding.

Yesterday I decided it was time for another switch in formulas, as well as a severely restrictive diet for me. I hauled myself to the pharmacy for a thimble sized can of formula costing the better part of Christopher's yearly salary when my eye caught something on the shelf. Here is where the truth of James 1:5 started to play a major role. Previous to the, "I spy with my little eye" game I was playing in the aisle of Walgreens I had asked God to lend me insight, and wisdom for Phoebe's feeding dilemma. I asked others to pray on my behalf. I was fully convinced of God's understand of Phoebe's need, and knew that he could communicate that to me if I was willing to be still, and listen.

So there I stood, listening. Rather than just grab the brand I was prepared to purchase I lingered, reading the other options for GI sensitivities. I don't know when you last went formula shopping, but if you think finding a bathing suit is hard work you ain't seen nothing! Overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of options, I noticed one brand which was dairy based, but lactose free. I suddenly remembered that Hannah was highly allergic to soy as an infant, and during our formula trials with her we had switched to a soy-based brand with disastrous results. Hmmm... could Phoebe be allergic to soy, but also lactose intolerant making both the original dairy based formula, and the soy based alternative we were currently using equally unappealing to her little tummy? I also noticed the price tag for the lactose-free was less than half the cost of the hypoallergenic brand I was already holding. Could God be opening my eyes to see this option in order to provide health to Phoebe, peace to me, and a little extra change to my pocketbook all in one fell swoop? Knowing that God was still good even if the lactose-free was a flop, I purchased both brands and headed home.

Phoebe's first feed using the new formula went off without a hitch. She actually sat contentedly in her swing for over an hour simply watching, then slept well during her nap. For the remainder of the day she ate well, showed no signs of gastrointestinal upset, and generally made her father and me happy as punch! I am on day 2, and still showing no signs of the irritability previously accompanying so many of her feedings. Yippee!

God really will give me relevant wisdom for my life's needs.