Thanks and Thanks Again!

By Steve Ensley

 

 As I sat down to write this article, at least a thousand ideas came to my mind that I could write about (the exaggeration is the Sanguine in my temperament).  I could talk about our non-election, but everyone is tired of that topic, including me.   I could talk of the stock market or the recent weather in parts of our country or even the Internet.  But since this is being written the day after Thanksgiving, and since we are about to start the Christmas season and our celebration of the awesome event where God took on human form, I think I need to focus on all that I have to be thankful for. 

 For those of you who have been reading this column, you know that last May I was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease that caught me completely by surprise.  That disease was an extremely high glucose level and out-of-control Type II diabetes.  Diabetes is a killer and it afflicts thousands of people and I have since learned that our culture and lifestyle are perfect breeding grounds for diabetes.

 Diabetes can threaten many major functions of the body including vision, kidneys, liver, circulation and heart.  If left uncontrolled, the complications from even Type II diabetes, will take a person’s life.  Since I knew of no family history of diabetes and since I had no symptoms that I knew of, I was caught completely by surprise with the diagnosis.  Now I realize there were plenty of symptoms, I just did not recognize these symptoms at the time. 

As a result of that diagnosis, I was forced to make some tough decisions and some major behavioral changes.  Being raised on a farm, I knew how to work hard physically and I was always strong.  But strong and healthy are two different things.  I found out the hard way, that it is possible to be strong and have very bad health.

 So where does the thankfulness come in?  Almost from the beginning and as the shock wore off, God gave me a sense of peace about my illness.  I became acutely aware that He was still in control and that nothing I would experience was beyond His knowledge or His love.  I’m thankful because He allowed me to turn to Him during this time of affliction and as a result I made a commitment to Him and myself that I would exercise and eat properly. Because of these decisions I have:

So, do I have a lot to be thankful for?  I sure do.  Good health is something many of us take for granted until we lose it.  And I am extremely grateful that the Lord gave me this wakeup call so that I could respond before it was too late.  Has it been easy?  No!  Has it changed my life?  Yes!   Am I a better person now?  Yes! 

Isn’t this also true for our spiritual health.  How many of us think we are strong when it comes to temptation.  How many of us believe our spiritual health is good when below the surface lurks a killer disease called temptation and sin.  How many of us put ourselves in harm’s way every day with a clearly “un-holy” lifestyle.

That is why I so strongly encourage everyone who uses the Internet to get a filter.  If you are on the Internet without a filter, you may seem like you are doing fine for years and years and then suddenly one day you will realize how much damage you have done to your spirit and your soul.  My doctor tells me that my body was developing this disease for ten years and it was trying to fight off the disease until it no longer could deal with the lack of exercise and bad eating.  The truly sad part is that I may never have developed the disease if I had just maintained a proper diet and gotten the exercise I needed. 

Our soul is the same way.  We might believe we can deal with the immoral Internet material without damage to our soul, but that is a lie.  It always damages our soul, young or old, rich or poor, we all are damaged by immoral material.  Some faster than others, but everyone is affected to some extent.

As I started out saying, we are coming in to a season that celebrates new life.  God gave me a new lease on life for which I am very thankful and He asks only that I make some decisions to honor the body He gave me.  My lifestyle changes will make the difference to allow me to live a somewhat normal lifespan and yet I will always have to live with the damage that cannot be reversed from the diabetes.

Please don’t be an Internet “diabetic” victim.  Don’t assume that you will recognize the “symptoms”.  Don’t let yourself believe that you are immune to the bad effects of the Internet or that you are strong enough to prevail and resist the temptation.  Don’t forfeit your “spiritual health”.  Make your lifestyle changes now.  Get a filter.  Protect yourself from the temptation and be the model for your entire family.   Get the “exercise and diet” you need for good Internet health, in other words, get a filter.

God bless!   Have a great day!!!