Dale is.........Dale!

Mothers of young ones know how hard it is when the little tykes are sick:  they feel miserable, they can't seem to make it to the trash can when they need to throw up, and if they happen to also have diarrhea---let's just say, things get messy!

Unfortunately, Dale kind of qualifies as a toddler when it comes to being sick.  He doesn't get sick very often, but when he does---watch out!  Have you ever heard of projectile vomiting?  It's as nasty as it sounds, and Dale has perfected it.  Forget about making it to the sink or trash can; everything comes out with such force that it winds up splashing back out and splattering whatever is nearby......feet, shirt, mother.  Yuck!  Dale felt really hungry just before bed on Friday night, so I got him a quick bowl of cereal.  When he was done, we headed upstairs for him to get ready for bed.  I'd taken just a few steps down the hall when Dale said, "Mom, I don't feel well."  I barely got the bathroom trash can in front of his face when he vomited.  He felt much better afterward and slept the night through.  Fast forward to Sunday night........Dale had an unfortunate bout with diarrhea before he went to bed as usual; everyone else was already in bed when I heard his voice from upstairs.  I quietly walked upstairs to find him sitting on the edge of his bed, grimacing.  He said, "Mom, I think I have diarrhea again," so I helped him to the bathroom.  He took care of business and had just finished washing his hands when I heard his stomach gurgling.  I teased, "That doesn't sound good!"  The words were barely out of my mouth when Dale threw up in the sink.  Again, everything went everywhere!  He actually woke up half the house with his vomiting:  Dad came out of the bedroom, Katie came stumbling down the hall, Ashley stood nearby in case I needed her to fetch anything.  Even our dog Peanut came and looked interested, although she may have been simply curious why everyone was up in the middle of the night.  Finally, Dale was done and able to go back to bed.

I decided to leave him home from school on Monday with his sister Katie who wasn't feeling all that great either.  I'd be tempted to think it was some kind of food poisoning except that we all ate the same things over the weekend.  Dale did have one episode of diarrhea while home Monday, but he seems to be okay today.  I had Katie give him applesauce and toast yesterday to try to help reset his digestive tract; hopefully, this did the trick.

Our church is winding down its theme for the month, Stewardship.  I'm not sure why churches tend to talk about stewardship only in January; maybe it has something to do with New Year's resolutions.  Our pastor has been preaching messages centered around giving, tithing, offerings, and general obedience to God.  I grew up in a solid, Bible-preaching, Baptist church and have heard preaching on tithing my whole life.  My parents taught me to be sure I gave God back His ten percent each time I received any money, so tithing is not a new concept to me.  I found myself a little bored during some sermons on giving, thinking, "I've got this nailed down already.  This is not something I still need to work on."  The Holy Spirit struck my heart and reminded me, "God loveth a cheerful giver---is that something you've got nailed down?"  And He is right; there are times that I kind of resent having to take money out of my paycheck that I frankly could use.  I always give my tithe, but I don't always give my tithe cheerfully.  I don't look for ways to give God more, and I certainly don't pray that He uses my small portion to further the gospel.  My actions may have been right, but my heart sure wasn't.  That is definitely something that I can work on.  I am so thankful that the Spirit can still talk to me and that I will still listen.  Can you believe my arrogance---acting as if I'd reached the top in any part of my Christian life?  I am so far removed from God's perfection that I should never sit in a service and act as if there is nothing new for me to hear.  If God were done with me, I'd be in Heaven!  Thanks be to the Father, His work in me is not yet finished.

Philippians 1: 6  "Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."