I wanted to share this without sharing too much of their or my personal information.
I received a very pleasant "Good morning, Aunt Wendy" text. To summarize, she wanted to know my thoughts on store-bought baby foods since that is what is being given to them through a local resource.
This is what I shared:
Good morning, Beautiful!
You made me take a trip down memory lane...
I have wrestled with giving my children something I considered less than ideal when it was readily provided. I like buying clothes for my children, but when people learned I had seven children, they gave me clothing. Lots of clothing. TONS of it. Sometimes I received 40-80 large contractor bags full of clothing. Twice a week. I was often overwhelmed with clothing!
Some of the clothing was inappropriate and would draw attention to the wrong things. Some supported things, like witchcraft, that God wants us to avoid. Other clothing just wasn't my personal taste.
After praying and reading Scripture, I knew I was to receive it all with thanksgiving. God provided. How I used it was up to me as I tried to be a faithful steward. The clothing that was too revealing or had inappropriate words was in violation of God's plan for modesty. I still often found a use for them as cleaning and automotive rags, bedding for our dogs, fabric to sew things like potholders, doll clothes, pillows, stuffing for pillows, eyeglass holders, sachets, rice bags (the kind you heat up in the oven to warm your hands/feet), etc. A friend tore clothes like that into strips and made really nice braided rugs from them. The clothes that were OK by Biblical standards but not my preference, we let them wear for farm chores or painting crafts. There were still plenty of clothes for wearing around the house, going to church, and out to eat. I also gave a lot of clothing away. God provided an abundance, and it was nice to be able to bless others.
If I had not made use of those clothes and many other things God provided, my husband and I would not be where we are today. That frugal stewardship helps the money grow year by year. We now have (removed for privacy). We are set to (removed for privacy) in 2026, again, Lord willing. Obeying God in stewardship played a large role in where we are now.
God provided the baby food, so you can give thanks for it and use it without any fears. You can still make your own food for your baby and alternate between store-bought and homemade. The baby food can also be used to make cold teething cubes (freeze them in ice cube trays and let the baby gnaw on them through one of those mesh things).
What God has provided is not exclusive to the baby. You can make use of them too. They can be added to soups and stews to thicken them, put into meatloaf to add some hidden nutrition, used in smoothies, or added to brownie and cake mixes. God provided. The responsible stewardship of it is your choice.
Love to all of you from all of us!
I guess I hit a home run:
Thank you so much!!! I needed this! We really want to (paragraph removed for privacy).
And thank you so much for that amazing food advice, I never thought of using baby foods those ways. ...
Thank you for always being such an open book of wisdom for me!
At the beginning of the conversation, she apologized for dumping on me. I do not feel that way at all. My family and friends are welcome to contact me anytime day or night, and I will try to do my very best for them. You might have to wait until I can fit you into the queue, but I try to reply.
