This year I actually have my head above water. My brother is alive and learning how to go to the drive in with all his equipment and baggage. It lifts my shoulders up so much, even though his journey is still so uncertain.
But I guess that’s true for all. I don’t know what’s going to come in the future.
Ugh that sucks sometimes doesn’t it? It’s different for people who have a physical battle they meet face to face every morning. Their worries for the future are much different than someone who is “healthy.”
We take health for granted. It’s interesting to think with all the buzz in the media about us having an obese epidemic. We do not think for a minute what we are putting into our mouths, appearance is way more important than food isn’t?
We care about the appearance of a browning apple. That’s why we need chemicals so we can have an apple that doesn’t brown. Convenience is so much easier and we are great at finding thousands of excuses of why we can’t cook dinner.
The same is true for physical beauty. The Anderson show did a test of a beautiful woman with form fitting clothes on having a flat tire on the side of the road. She didn’t have to wait more than a minute for a man to help her. And more men kept offering to help. A girl who has shorter hair and no makeup and loose clothes.. 10 minutes before a man helped her…
The psychologists say it’s how are brains are programed we enjoy things that are beautiful. So I guess we say we can’t help that and if you are not physically beautiful to someone.. you’re screwed?!…
Our world’s viewpoint sucks. Open your hearts! Is compassion missing from our culture? Too bad we couldn’t follow this more –
“ Finally all of you should be of one mind, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds.” 1 Peter 3:8
But back to sickness, someone who has a life long physical battle has constant worries. For example, my husband has type 1 diabetes. To most it doesn’t seem serious and most people know about it now because of type 2 diabetes… which goes back to our obesity in this country. But it is serious. And to me I think it’s a silent killer.
Sure he could eat whatever he wants and go back for more and more and hope his insulin works it out. He could go to work all day and decide it’s too inconvenient to test his blood sugar and if his blood sugar goes high or low, he won’t see immediate damage to his body. But keep on with this type of pattern and at your next eye exam you will hear the words “the vessels in your eyes are becoming damaged.” And keep on a few more years.. you will hear” I’m sorry, you’re losing your sight.”
In one quick second your world is flipping. Your eyesight could be gone. Your world is transforming. Your blame alone would make your world dark. Your regret of going back would pound you to the ground… it’s not looking good.
The words losing your sight.. makes you think, “Did I lose my sight along the way?”
What are our eyes set on? What’s the focus of your day?
What’s heavy is Eric is living with diabetes and the daily struggle, but our souls our intertwined so I live with it too. Heck I had gestational diabetes with both my pregnancies taking insulin shots. It’s not just his responsibility but mine. I make dinner. I choose what I put into his body. I help control diabetes. Sometimes I forget.. more like I don’t want to think about how serious it is. Convenience is a temptation.. but when I think about the lifelong consequences and ask God to help knock it outta here… it’s no longer appealing.
A few weeks ago Eric told me how he is so worried about the future. If he dies, what will happen?. If he goes blind what would happen?
It made me think about how his worries are different. But all my response was,
Don’t you trust God to take care of you?
It’s like all things. You can not just sit around and eat whatever you want and only check your blood sugar and say “Well God will take care of me.” We have to take care of our physical bodies as best as we can here. We can’t just spend whatever we want, to buy what we desire and say God will give me more money.
We can be thankful for how much we do know about diseases today and what helps treat and prevent them. We have to talk with God and trust him. He won’t let you just sit around and not take care of yourself.
He will use others to speak to you, and he will speak to you. But when we are doing everything we can, trying our hardest, when we are putting forth all we have with humble hearts that’s it.. the rest is in God’s hands.
Sure to think about Eric losing his eyesight is a shot through my heart and I think “would I be able to take a breath?” Then I remember how much I trust God. I know he loves us so much he would be right there with us.
I also know he doesn’t want us worrying about the future so much that it consumes us. Trust him.
How do we trust God? We start with what he left for us, the manual to our life.. you know it. The bible.
“You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it.” So true right? We spend all our time worrying about the future and what if the next day we did lose our sight? We would regret we didn’t look around at what we had closer.
God will listen to our needs.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything; tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank him for his answers.” Matthew 6:34
Here’s some others that help to put worry aside and enjoy this moment right now that has been given to us. It’s not to say we can’t prepare for the future, but we also need to trust him and that comes like any relationship. It takes time, and communication. Talk to God. Get to know him. Expose yourself to him. He’s waiting right now!!
Philippians 4:6
1 Peter 5:7
Joshua 1:9
Mark 4:18-19
* I want to add that I wrote this on my first blog 2 years ago. I just came across it and it spoke to me again so wanted to share with you all. God has worked on Eric’s mind with worries about the future so much! I love to hear him talk about it because it is his testimony!
Gina B
Great post! I agree, we are the ones responsible. God gives us this body but it’s our choice to take care of it. I noticed I’d been getting lazy and eating too much sugar, so I’m moving off of that. I put on weight – which I never do – and now it’s impossible to work out! Slow and easy I guess until I build up, but I’m regretting my poor decisions.
Tasia
Thanks Gina! Slow and easy is right. We have such a fight against everything in our daily routine because of our culture. From everything on T.V. to our mobile devices, to the grocery stores! So be easy on yourself. Let God move you. You can make one small change and once you have that mastered you can conquer the next! 🙂
Clare Speer
I love this blog post…. AND I really needed to read this! I have been taking my body for granted and not eating well and/or exercising and I feel it! Ugggghhhhh – love this word and love the scriptures about worry because I am truly a worry wart! Blessings!
Tasia
Clare I love that it spoke to you! That is the best part of blogging isn’t? I found that it helps to memorize one scripture about worrying and every time the thoughts start to come in.. say it outloud. Praying for you today! And thank you for stopping by!
Leanne | The Transplanted Southerner
My mother and her brother were both diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes last year, and it has changed their lives. One of my friend’s mother had Type 1 diabetes and managing it was a constant struggle for her. I do know people who happily take more and more insulin and eat what they want, but I know it is likely that one day they will pay the price for that. Thank you for sharing you and your husband’s story.
Tasia
Thanks for stopping by Leanne. It really is life changing for the person diagnosed and those living with that person. It is still a struggle for my husband because there are no perfect days. I know that just from when I had GD. I would eat so healthy and take the right amount of insulin and my blood sugar would still be high. I hope those reading take Diabetes seriously!