The Mommy Prospective of Gluten Free

I just wanted to share something that has been on my mind for the last few days that I think shows the great love that people can have and the wonderfulness of God in all circumstances.

My daughter has been gluten free for a year now. We decided to take her off gluten because she wasn't growing the way she should and she was having constant diarrhea.  When my daughter was a baby she would put on a few pounds every month, like a normal child, but when she turned one things started to really slow down. She has always been small, she was born small, so for her to kinda stop growing was a  concern. The rate at which she grew was at regular intervals, but had decreased quite a bit since she started eating what we ate. Even with half of her parents eating gluten free it still didn't seem to help her out much. So when she was a year and a half we talked it over with her doctor and took her off gluten. She started gaining weight and her height took off. People who haven't seen her in awhile are always in shock at how much she has changed in a matter of months. So as any good parents I protect her health quite a bit.

Before GF at 14 months, in size 9m.

After GF at 2, in size 2T

Thankfully we have supporting family and friends who understand and see the change it has made in her little life. I am thankful and very blessed to have a church family who cares and has done what they can to make sure she gets the right kind of snacks. At times snack time hasn't gone well for her. They normally serve a brand of cheese like cracker snack that my daughter use to love, but of course she can no longer have them. This broke my heart when I realized this would be a challenge for her and for me when we she went gluten free. The staff, (bless them!) made the nursery gluten free for when my daughter was there. It worked out very well.

This week my daughter graduated to the next level in the churches childcare, which is pulling on many of mommies heart strings: my little girl is growing up, she needs me less, and her peers are starting to become a bigger influence on her. Not to mention a whole new group of teachers to educate about gluten, this is the part I've been thinking about for days now. I didn't sleep much worrying about this and thinking about scenarios of conversations I might have to have with people and preparing for the worst. I prayed about it, but somethings are just really hard to let go. But letting go is what needed to happen. I had to force myself to understand that God put this little girl in my hands, he is trusting me with her, and it isn't the other way around. He has her best interest in mind long before it even pops into my brain.  So I calmed down and handed it over to God as best as I could. When I dropped her off at her new class tonight I started my whole long speech about what she can't have and how it should be handled and what they should do...starting to sound like that super annoying parent.

Then the best thing in the world happened. The staff stepped up and took care of my fears, and talked to me about what all they could do just for my daughter. They offered suggestions and promised to take care of it from then on out so I wouldn't have to worry about this sort of thing ever again. I was so ready to lay down the law, as it were, and put on my boots and stomp around to get my way, but instead God showed up and said "Do not be afraid" (as he so often does in the Bible). He meet mine and my daughters needs and took care of it all before I really even had the chance to do something and it was all taken care of at once. No meeting to deal with it later or "we'll do that next time," but right then and there. The churches staff and I worked things out in a polite, friendly, timely, and in a loving matter right then and there. 

Just as God says in his word:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6

In other words, pray about everything, but don't stew, worry, or get anxious about anything. God knows all and will handle all, we just need to trust him and have faith. All things work out in his perfect timing. We may not understand why and when or even how, but he does. This week is the perfect example of this scripture. I worried, but then I prayed and God took care of it perfectly. I am so thankful that God took care of everything and for the wonderful children's staff at my church. It's amazing what happens when you let God take care of everything.

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Matthew 6:27