Do I like apples or oranges?

Do I like apples or oranges?

       Psalm 66:5  Come and see what God has done, how awesome His works in man's behalf!

I know as I've gotten older my tastes have changed.  Foods that I loved as a child now don't seem to have the same appeal.  Foods that I've grown to love as an adult, I would never have let past my lips as a child.  I guess it's just the natural progression of things.  Our tastes change, become more refined (for the most part), and we have more opportunities to try new and different foods.  Food is a very personal thing that develops with time, but what if you don't begin your "food journey" until you are 16 years old? 

After the miracle we found ourselves in a place that we hadn't expected.  We were caught between two worlds, "the eating world" and "the tube fed world."  It was as if we had a foot on each side of the line because of "technical difficulties" that we could have never imagined.  Even though Christopher was fully able to eat, he didn't know what to eat or even how to eat.

Apples???  Oranges???

He had never tried apples or oranges before.  He didn't know what salad tasted like, and he certainly didn't have any idea about what type of salad dressing he liked best.  He had no clue if he preferred green beans or corn.  He had certainly never settled the Coke vs. Pepsi debate in his mind, and he wasn't sure if he was more of a steak person or a seafood lover. 

His food experience was extremely limited.  Throughout his life, he had tasted and spit out a few different types of food just for the fun of it, just for the social part of it.  He says now that he isn't even sure why he chose to taste/spit certain things and not others.  For the most part, the food world was completely unknown to him, but he was excited to explore it and find out just what type of salad dressing he really did like best!

He is learning to eat lots of new types of food.

Another concern was nutrition.  Christopher wasn't used to eating a variety of foods to support healthy nutrition.  Would he be able to eat a nutritious diet?  Would he be able to maintain his weight?  He was also  playing basketball at the time.  Would he be able to get in enough calories in order to be effective on the court? 

We came up with a compromise until Christopher was able to fully embrace eating.  During the day, he would eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.  He would concentrate on trying new foods and expanding his menu.  At night, he would wear his feeding tube at a reduced rate in order to ensure proper nutrition and calories.  That way, he could have time to develop healthy eating habits, while not sacrificing his health.

He tried Brazilian food and loved it!

It didn't take long at all for Christopher to cross that line, become a full-fledged citizen of "the eating world," and leave his tube feeding machine laying in the dirt!  He developed a healthy diet in record time, and by December 3, 2011 (less than 1 month after the miracle) he was eating REAL FOOD ONLY, NO MORE TUBE FEEDING!  He has been eating ever since and maintaining normal body weight.  As a bonus, he no longer takes any medications for constipation.  His GI tract has been completely healed, so all those tube feeding supplies and medications are just sitting around collecting dust!!!


Psalm 66:1-2  Shout with joy to God, all the earth!  Sing the glory of His name, make His praise glorious!


Psalm 100:1-2  Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.  Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.


If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can pray like this:

More tomorrow...