I Cannot Enjoy Being Unhealthy

In 2006 I was diagnosed with asthma. How is one diagnosed with asthma as an adult, you ask? I began to smoke cigarettes after dating someone who smoked. I smoked Newports for about 4 years and began to have difficulty breathing. Doctors kept saying I had bronchitis, but because it would not go away, they labeled it as asthma and gave me maintenance medications. (You can never truly appreciate the gift of breathing until you can’t).

Because I was taking so many steroids to treat the bronchitis, I gained a tremendous amount of weight- fifty pounds to be exact. In May of 2009, not long after I gained this weight, I became very ill. I found myself sleeping all of the time, having unquenchable thirst, and urinating frequently. I finally decided to go to the doctor, and was immediately diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.

I was extremely distraught about this diagnosis. I had been working in dialysis since 2001, and I knew the toll diabetes can take on the body. I immediately begin to pray for healing. I knew that I could be healed of this disease. I just had to do my part.

Taking care of our temples is another important part of our walk with God. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV says, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” I love sweets. There I said it. And I love carbs. Give me a big plate of almost any Italian dish, macaroni and cheese, dressing, or potatoes in any form, followed by a sweet, decadent dessert, and you have made Sheronda a very happy woman. However, my body is not happy.

WebMD reports, “the bodies of people with type 2 diabetes make insulin. But either their pancreas does not make enough insulin or the body cannot use the insulin well enough.” It goes on to say that, “over time, the high glucose levels in the blood can damage the nerves and small blood vessels of the eyes, kidneys, and heart and lead to atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries that can cause heart attack and stroke.” For myself, this was unacceptable. I knew I had many goals that I wanted to reach, and I did not want to spend time in and out of doctors' offices trying to stay well.

Thankfully, the doctor I saw is a believer, and he told me that I did not have to live the rest of my life with diabetes. He told me that God was a healer, and that if I did my part, God would do the rest. I immediately sprung into action. I began to exercise on a regular basis and I changed my diet, and lost 30 pounds. In January of 2010, I participated in the Daniel fast with a group of women I fellowship with, and by February 2010, I was no longer diabetic! I was healed!

I enjoyed smoking. I enjoyed eating sweets. But neither enjoyed me. I began to realize that in order to do the work God wanted from me, I had to be a healthy person. I watched as people smoked for 20 years and ate whatever they wanted, but did not suffer the same repercussions I did  (or at least I didn’t think so). But truthfully, I felt awful. I had no motivation to do anything.

Seeking God’s face and wanting to learn to have faith taught me numerous lessons. One lesson was that if I wanted to represent God in the capacity I desired, I could not be unhealthy. And in order to reach my goals, I not only had to learn how to be healthy, but to have faith that God would deliver me from these diseases.

I know there are thousands of people who have been diagnosed with some illness that they desire to be delivered from. Some of these diseases have even been labeled as “incurable”. I believe otherwise. We see the testimony of so many people who have been healed of a terminal illness, yet we don’t have the faith that it could happen to us. IT CAN HAPPEN. Sometimes it requires us to develop a healthier lifestyle while standing on scriptures that say, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5, NIV). Other times we just have to stand. However, we must activate our faith to get through.

If you had an opportunity to read my blog, “Write the Vision, Make it Plain”, you would have seen my vision board. On this vision board is a woman exercising, and she represents my desire to become fit again. During the time my son was hospitalized, I gained weight. I was eating whatever was near the hospital, and rarely had a home-cooked meal. My desire is to regain a healthy lifestyle so that I can lose the weight I gained, and more, so that I can have the energy and motivation to enter this next phase of my life.

I go to God with this desire, because I cannot do it on my own. My truth- I am struggling with developing a healthier lifestyle. My son’s injury has required a lot of my attention, and I have forgotten to take care of me. However, each day I make a valiant effort to incorporate something healthier to reach this goal. I encourage any of my readers to do the same, through the power of faith in God. If this is a desire in your heart, God has placed it there. And if God placed it there, He has also given you the power to receive it. I will receive it. You will receive it. We will receive.

           

            There is healing, in the name of our Lord. Try it. You will see. Or at least, you will see me.

Btw, as of March 2014, I have been healed of asthma. Have faith.

For further encouragement, please read the blog of a long time acquaintance of mine, Monica Day. Please know that you are not in the struggle alone. God bless!
http://monicadoes.com/fitness/weight-struggle/

Sources:

http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/guide/type-2-diabetes#

If you have any comments, questions, suggestions, or prayer requests, please feel free to email me at: faithfrfr2014@gmail.com.