When it comes to kids, there are certain constants – dirty diapers, middle of the night feedings, etc. One of those constants, doctor visits, struck us on Friday and taught me another lesson:

SOMETIMES, YOU’VE GOTTA TRUST YOUR GUT

You see, Lucy hadn’t been feeling well for a couple of weeks. Maybe it was allergies or a cold, but whatever the reason, she was congested, sneezing, coughing, and generally not feeling well. We discussed it with the doctor a couple of weeks ago and he told us to spray saline into her nose and to use what I affectionately call “The Sucker” to suck out all the juicy stuff, which we did. But something told us that there was more than just some nasal congestion.

As Lucy’s cough got worse, we became more and more convinced that there was something more than just a cold. When she began sleeping less and eating less, we decided to take her back to the doctor. So, on Friday, Melody took her in and guess what? Double ear infections!

Now, a few days and several doses of Amoxicillin later, Lucy is almost completely back to her old self. At the same time, Melody and I are emboldened as parents. We know our little girl and we know when there’s something wrong with her.

As I consider this fact, the pastor in me wants to say “And God knows us, even better than we know ourselves”. That’s true, but I think there’s another lesson here. It is this: For people who are actually following Jesus – people who are devoted to a relationship with God – it’s OK to just trust your gut sometimes. In other words, if you know God, stop waiting around for him to tell you what to do and, instead, follow your gut (heart, spirit, or whatever you choose to call it) and do the thing you know you should do.

Fear of the unknown can be paralyzing, especially when it comes to God. For people who view God as a stern disciplinarian, not knowing exactly what he wants you do to can freeze you in your tracks. Even people who know God as one full of grace and mercy can become like statues when faced with a decision. But the bottom line is that if we are in a relationship with him, then we already know a lot about him and about the kinds of decisions he would make.

Sometimes, we just have to trust our gut and move forward. If he wants us to do something else, he’ll certainly let us know.