What is your diagnosis?

First of all, let me start by apologizing for not posting in a while.  We do not have Internet access at home and go to the library to post blogs.  Well, being a very small community, pretty much everyone in town uses the library, and this being one of the worst flu epidemics in something like 100 years, Mel and I have gotten two very bad cases of the flu.  The first was in December, and then we got a different strain of the flu the last week of February and only just began recovering from it last week.  We were told there is a third strain going around; we are going to avoid the library until flu season is over.  We are posting today from a coffee shop, which we cannot afford to do very often, so my postings may dwindle for a little while longer. 

Last week I had to go to the doctor for my yearly check-up so the doctor would renew my blood pressure and thyroid medications.  It is a painless and easy exam, but the doctor always does thorough blood work at the same time.  For the most part, it was all good news, expect for one thing, I have been diagnosed as pre-diabetic.  Because this diagnosis was caught early, I can still reverse it and avoid becoming a full-blown diabetic.  Therefore, I am thanking God for the blood work that was ordered by my conscientious doctor.  The steps to take are very easy: exercise more, lose a minimum of five pounds, and start the Mediterranean Diet.  I have taken this all very seriously; today I will order the cookbook for the Mediterranean Diet.  Mel and I promised to support each other in getting healthier and are committed to walking at least four times a week.  We even bought plastic water bottles with handles and filled them with dry rice for cheap dumbbells so we can start strength training because Mel read it can help stop diabetes.  We are going to start eliminating sugars as much as possible as well.  I am so grateful to have such a wonderful husband and partner!

Do my readers really need to know about my new zest for getting in better shape?  Of course not.  What does all this have to do with a Christian blog?  This falls under the category of “There’s a sermon in everything.”  As I was thinking about how gung-ho I have become in researching pre-diabetes and how to reverse it, I started wondering how I would handle it if God Himself came to me with a diagnosis on my spiritual health.  Fix certain issue (or issues) of my soul or risk sickness that could lead to spiritual death.  Would I start reading my bible more, pray on my knees more?  What would I be willing to give up to save my soul?  The really good news is that I do not need Jesus to stand before me in physical form in order to know I am sinner.  I know that enduring until the end for the eternal reward of life with my Maker means self-discipline and repentance every single day.  My works do matter and I need to perpetually aware of my actions.  Reading my bible every day will indeed keep my spiritual condition in great shape IF I practice what it preaches.  If I can go for walks even in bad weather, work on strength training with a bad neck and back, and not give into my sweet tooth (I have a real weakness for ice cream), all for the sake of living a long life side-by-side with my precious husband, then I can absolutely discipline myself to spend more time communicating with my Savior.

I love II Timothy 2:15, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly diving the word of Truth.”   To me this shows that we are not meant to read the bible just one time and be done with it.  We’ve read it or heard it all before, right?  Each and every time I read through the bible I get something new and fresh out of each book.  I often find myself saying to Mel, “I never thought of that scripture this way before, but now I see it could also mean…”  We are not just meant to read God’s Word, but to meditate on it, devour it,  and let it seep into our soul and imitate the person God wants us to be.  It is our prescription from the Lord to maintain a healthy walk with Him.  It is so much more important that any diet book.  We are the temple of the Lord and He wants us to take care of our physical bodies, think of it as being good stewards of what He has given us.  However, more important than losing weight and making sure I never have to take insulin shots, is the condition of my soul. 

 If we take Psalm 139:22-24 literally, it will be our path to spiritual health.  So if you pray this prayer daily and mean every single word (and be willing to change when God reveals where and how you need to change), you will be certain to achieve a happy, healthy life, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my thoughts.  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way of everlasting.”