Most of what you see me write on this blog may not be new. But although someone else may already have said it, I discovered it for myself and am trying it, not just thinking about it. The purpose is to encourage you, knowing that I am out there doing it.
I don't follow my rules perfectly, but I have not given up. I always do my best. I used to be the kind of perfectionist who would fall into self-destructive behavior if I didn't reach my goals. Then I learned to turn in imperfect work, but still the best I could do after screwing up. It's like the sprinter who falls flat on his face but still tries for the best time under the circumstances - and then falls again. And still tries for the best time under the circumstances. God blesses such behavior and such an attitude.
This may sound crazy, but I have this idea in my head that there is no abnormal condition or disease known to man that the body is not designed to heal itself of. I know how hopeless this may sound, but when I really think about it, it is actually what I think. You hear which ailments are curable and which are not from the medical profession. As time goes on, things are transferred from the latter list to the former. For example, until about 25 years ago, ripped cartilage didn't heal. Now it does. I didn't believe them then. I believe them now. My belief did not change. They did. I view diabetes the same way. I don't care whether it is Type I or II.
Medical data is based on unhealthy people who do not live the way they were designed. I'm not saying diabetics are people who did not take care of themselves. Personally, I don't even think much about whether I deserved this disease or not. I just know God knows what's going on with my body and I look ahead. That's all I need. No, I am saying that I think most Americans have been duped into eating the way they do, no fault of their own. I don't get emotional about it, it's just that I have done a lot of thinking in trying to figure out what I should do in my situation, and after a long, cyclic struggle of trying this and trying that, I am pretty much convinced that we don't generally eat right at all.
I believe that when God is willing and it fits with purposes for our own best interests, all diseases are curable right now. The market that drives the medical profession are interested in treating the symptoms, not changing their lifestyle enough. Who is that market? It's you. It's all of us. Most of us treat the symptoms and drive on.
I was raised such that when I got sick, I was sent to bed until I was all better. So when I was diagnosed with diabetes, my natural reaction was to call my doctor and ask if she could sign for me to take sick leave so I could go to bed for several days and get better. You can imagine the response the general public would have to this. Unheard of. Treat those symptoms and drive on; this is a serious disease that we do not yet have a cure for. Suck it up and get to work. But suppose I had gotten better by resting for let's say 2 weeks. I would have avoided many times more sick days that I did end up taking, not to mention the turmoil and the poor performance over the years.
I'm not saying I would have gotten better or even that it would have been worth a try. Just that if I could have, they still would not have let me.
When Moses raised the serpent for the people to turn their heads toward and look, many simply could not. I used to marvel at that. All you had to do to be healed was to turn your head and look at a snake and you were guaranteed relief from your poisonous snake bite. Why not just do it, try it? But then I observed myself: I am sometimes very afraid, lazy or reluctant to do what the Lord's servants tell me to do, simply because I am afraid it won't work. We all do it all the time. That's why upon hearing the gospel, people's first question is, "how do I know this isn't a scam - how do I know it won't cost too much?" rather than, "Where do I sign up?" It's like, why would you refuse to go over a knoll if you were dying of thirst and someone just told you there was fresh pure water over there? Why wouldn't you think, "hey - this would be great news; I had better go see whether there's water!"? People are just afraid to look. They are that suspicious, or at best, that afraid to be disappointed. Pretty much, they are just convinced there is no water. To them, that's the definition of reality.
I don't mean to touch a nerve with such talk. I really don't get emotional about this. My dad, from whom I learned the basics, never discussed his philosophy, not even with me in full. He did not like the emotions it awakened. For a long time, I was the same. But now, knowing I may be wrong about any number of things, yet knowing I truly know something that my neighbors would like to know if only they knew, I am compelled to adopt a new disseminating policy. In my training as an engineer, I learned early on not to care about who was right, just what was right. I was impressed by the people in that profession who were never concerned about who came up with the solution, only about the solution coming up. I don't care if I'm wrong; I'm not going to let it stop me from talking and writing. So watch me, if you will, and we shall see what happens to me. And maybe you.
This isn't just about the body and a hope to escape the inconveniences and discomforts of diabetes. It is about living by faith and what that will do for your spiritual growth. You are experiencing difficulty for a purpose. If there was nothing to deal with, you would have no reason to live. This is about developing your greatness.
This is not a contest to see who lives the longest. Nor who was right or the strongest. It is about hoping to optimize your energy and well being while you are alive, however long that may be.
