BATTLE WITH DIABETES

Gary V., Halle Berry, Nick Jonas and Marj Laurena

What does Gary Valenciano, Halle Berry, Nick Jonas and (ehem ehem) Marj Laurena have in common?

You guessed it right. We all have diabetes.

I was fond of donating my rare blood type (AB+)  back then, so when I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes last March 2009, I was a bit upset. I remember my journal entry that night, it says: “I am about to be offended, I can feel it. I cried because I can no longer donate my rare blood type because I’ll be under medication, possibly for life. But then again it occurred to me… ONLY ONE TYPE OF BLOOD IS NEEDED—THE ONE THAT WAS SHED IN THE CALVARY TO REDEEM HUMANKIND… THE BLOOD OF JESUS. Then I thought, I can’t skip meals anymore because it will affect my blood sugar… am I denied to fast? I grieved for a moment. But again I realized, this arrangement is a fasted lifestyle. Abstinence. I remember Anna’s story from the Bible, the widow who fasted and prayed day and night… This is the perfect set-up. I rest my case. Father, what kind of response are you asking of me?”

A month  before that, I was asking the Lord how will I lose weight. I wanted to be healthy. But I was too lazy to go on a diet. Then this happened. Come to think of it, a diabetic lifestyle is a healthy one—low fat, low sugar, high fiber, and  active. Makes sense. One of our church leaders said to me, “so are you just going to accept that?” and I told her, “it’s not that I’m accepting the condition, I choose to accept the lifestyle the condition is suggesting, if this is the only way that my attitude toward health will be corrected, then so be it.” At least I will be forced to be healthy.

I don’t know what motivates Nick Jonas and Halle Berry to continue to do what  they are doing. Passion maybe. As for Gary V., I know his  motivation… and that’s another thing that we have in common. We keep on doing what we do for the sake of the gospel… so that everybody will know that God is real. We are motivated by His love, grace, compassion and glory… It’s our fuel that keeps us going. It’s Gary V.’s insulin. It’s my metformin.

The truth is, we all have our battles. They just come in different forms. But no amount of illness can stop me from doing what I am called to do. His grace is sufficient. It’s JUST diabetes. I have a big God who already conquered sin and death.  My God is the Great Physician. Whether diabetes is for now or for life, I will still choose to say “blessed be the Name of the Lord.”

Life without sugar… but with a SWEET Lord…

It’s worth the trade. (^_^)

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