Diabetes: All In on the Challenge

 

It’s been a while since I wrote anything about the challenges that come with being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. In part, I haven’t written about it because I seem to have landed on some sort of plateau where my numbers, specifically my A1c, are good but not good enough. Unfortunately, I seem to be stuck on this plateau with no movement either good or bad and that can be frustrating.

At least the doctor was happy with my most recent test results, but I wasn’t because I once again missed my goals. And that’s where self-doubt began to set in. Am I missing my goals because they are unrealistic or impossible? Are my prayers for healing off the mark? Was I being delusional back when I told the doctor that I expect God to do something amazing? After quite a bit of self-examination, I find that the answer to all these questions is a resounding “No!”.

My problem is not unrealistic expectations nor are my prayers misplaced. What is unrealistic is thinking that I could half-heartedly do the things I know I need to do and expect the results that I want. I need to be all in with my diet and exercise, or else I’ll remain stuck on this plateau. The good thing is that I’m blessed since my body still makes insulin. So, if I dive in with both feet, I have a shot at achieving the goals that I have set for myself. I must change in order to make that happen.

I have about five and a half months before my next doctor’s appointment, and I know what I want to see as far as results when that time comes. To get there I must be all in when it comes to my current health challenge. It’s time to stop kidding and to stop my halfhearted approach. The Bible tells me that I have a God who heals and that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. These are the promises He has given me. Now I must live like I want to hold on to what He has offered.

How Does God Do That?

 

It never ceases to amaze me how God can show up at exactly the right time with exactly what I need. I’ve honestly lost count of the number of times when I had no answers, just to have God step in and take care of everything. It’s already happened several times this year and I still don’t know how He got me through each situation.

We tend to keep cars for a very long time. In fact, our minivan is approaching 13 years on the road. And while this saves money overall, it sometimes means dealing with major repairs when one part or another simply wears out. This year both cars needed almost identical front end suspension work. On top of that, the minivan needed tires. Then, just for added measure, my wife ran over something and punctured one of the back tires on her car. Whatever it was damaged the tire so badly that it had to be replaced, which also meant replacing the other back tire at the same time. Throw in new back brakes on the van and we were looking at a mountain of repair bills.

Funny thing about mountains, they look tiny in comparison to God and He had no problem leveling and getting rid of the mountain I was facing. Somehow, we had enough cash to cover every one of those repairs, with a large chunk of the money literally coming out of the blue. My wife was given an unexpected bonus for a job well done and it arrived in her paycheck the day before her car was scheduled to go into the shop. God provided once again and we are praising Him for taking care of us.

I still don’t know how God pulls this off time and time again, but I am sure glad that He does. I wonder what the next mountain will look like. No matter how tall, I look forward to seeing God deal with it according to His will. And just like every time before, I know I will find myself asking, “How Does God Do That?”

What You Ought to Say

 

“For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Luke 12:12

In Exodus 3:13, Moses asks God to tell him what he should say to the children of Israel upon his return to Egypt. In essence, Moses was asking God to tell him what he should do. God responds by telling Moses exactly what to say (Exodus 3:14-17). I suspect that Moses may have been afraid that the leaders of Israel would not believe him and he needed to know what to say and what to do to convince both them and the leaders of Egypt. God responded by teaching Moses what he should say.

This reminds me of what Jesus taught His disciples in Luke 12:8-12, as He prepared them to face leaders who would not quickly buy into His message of salvation. Jesus understood that anyone who was bold enough to preach His Gospel would be opening themselves up to the possibility of being attacked for their beliefs. These attacks would come from regular everyday people, and from religious leaders and government authorities. When (not if) this happened, Jesus wanted to reassure His followers that the Holy Spirit would teach them exactly what they should say, exactly when they needed to say it. This was His promise to stand with His followers in these situations.

We live in a fallen world in which people are persecuted for being followers of Christ. Here in the United States, we do not see this as much as people in other countries but eventually that kind of persecution will come to our shores, or should I say, it shall increase in occurrence. When we face questions or even persecution, be it from our neighbors or from the government, God will respond just as He did with Moses. Trust that the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you should say. Then, in full obedience, speak and let God’s words change hearts around you.