The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games.  At our house in the last week, this seems to have become the theme - but with two very different meanings.

First, we have been playing a guessing game to figure out how much, when, and what to feed the boys. We've been trying to find the magic amount of formula so they get enough to hold off their hunger until the next feeding, but not so much that it makes them spit up.  The boys are typically taking five ounces every four hours.  Sometimes it's more, sometimes less - sometimes they fuss after 3.5 hours, other times 4.5.  Unfortunately, ever since he was born, John has been our little "pukester". The poor guy has acid reflux, so he spits up at every feeding.  Any parent will probably tell you that babies and spit up go hand-in-hand, and it's very normal.  The doctor won't prescribe medication unless it's enough to interfere with his growth - which it isn't. While he spits up frequently, the amount is pretty small, so for now it's just more of an inconvenience to us as we try to keep him upright after he eats. The doctor's other piece of advice was to try changing formulas, so that's our next move in the guessing game. They've done so well with the formula they're on, so it might be trial & error for a while to see if something else reduces the reflux.  At their appointment on the 26th, John weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs 2 oz and Andrew was 10 lbs 4 oz.  They were 21 and 21 3/4 inches in length, and while they've made tremendous progress since birth (3lbs 10.5oz and 4lbs 7oz), they're still in the very low percentiles for two-month-old babies.  Since they're gaining weight so quickly, we hate to switch things up but it's worth a try if it makes John's tummy happier!

Second, like many others, I have been sucked into the trilogy of books.  You may have been living under a rock if you haven't already heard about the movie "The Hunger Games" which came out last weekend. It's based on a series of best-selling books that have a huge & loyal following. I wanted to see what all the hype was about, so I started the first book last week and finished all three in a matter of days...which is quite a feat with two newborn babies to take care of. If you don't know the plot, it's a dark story about a post-apocalyptic country, Panem, that is divided into 12 districts and ruled by the Capitol. As a brutal reminder to the districts of their failed rebellion years earlier, the Capitol forces each district to provide two tributes - a boy & girl aged 12 to 18 - to compete in an annual fight to the death - the Hunger Games.  The main character, Katniss, volunteers for the Games in order to spare her little sister who's name was randomly selected to compete. With such a horrific storyline, it was tough to imagine why so many people have gotten hooked on the books or wait in lines to see the movie. I don't read very often and I'm definitely no book analyst, but my only explanation is this...the trials and suffering that the characters endure are so extreme that you're glued to the pages and keep reading because it just HAS to get better.  You can't wait to finish the paragraph or page or chapter in hopes that there is some relief.  Some sort of happy ending.  Throughout the story, circumstances seem utterly hopeless - at times it's difficult to read - but yet your connection to Katniss and her loved ones keeps you entranced and propels you to keep rooting for them.

In some ways, the world that Katniss lives in is really not that different from ours.  While we don't have our children fight in televised death-matches, every day there are painful losses - people suffer from horrible diseases, families are torn apart, people lose their lives, governments oppress their citizens, and friends deceive you - all of which are just the result of living in a fallen world.  The difference is that while the story of Katniss' circumstances often seemed utterly hopeless, we have been given a hope.  Psalm 20:7 says "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”  We have been promised that this life isn't all there is.  We have a God who loves us enough to send his Son to walk on this earth, endure the suffering, and feel the heartaches that you and I experience daily.  His perfect Son gave his life to pay the price for all the ways that we fail to meet God's standards.  We can be confident that there's an eternity in heaven waiting for us if we simply acknowledge the sacrifice and say "Thanks Jesus, for taking the punishment that I deserved."  As Easter approaches, I encourage you to stop and think about that.  Does your life seem more like the one from Panem - filled with despair, heartache, and suffering - or one that's Christ-centered and revolves around forgiveness, peace, and hope?

As someone who has spent many weeks of the past few months confined to a recliner, I know what it's like to miss out on the fellowship and encouragement that attending a church can bring.  Jesus didn't intend for us to walk this road alone.  So if you ever feel hopeless, or alone, or forgotten - I encourage you go check out a church this Easter week.  If you don't have one to go to, come to ours.  Or try someplace new.  They will welcome you with open arms.