Glad for Diabetes

I'm starting the New Year with a new diagnosis: diabetes. This means I have no choice but to learn a new way of life. It encompasses healthy eating, exercise, finger pricks for blood glucose readings, reducing stress and more. I find it interesting that 3 of these 4 life changes are often New Year's goals for normal adults. We all know it is best if we eat less, move more, and de-stress. This is not to say that people can avoid diabetes if they are living a healthy way of life, but just think how much further ahead I would be if I was already on that healthful path!

I believe in embracing all things with gratitude, even if it starts out as an exercise rather than an overwhelming feeling. Sometimes the discipline of counting my blessings even when I don't feel like it helps me have a more positive approach. The new-and-improved outlook helps me accept the inevitable without rebelliously digging my feet into the ground.

Perhaps today's gratitude list of "Why I'm Glad I Have Diabetes" will inspire your own gratitude list for the New Year. Pick something unpleasant about the New Year and make it more bearable by finding the good in it.

1. A diabetic diet is a healthy way of eating.
2. I will lose the weight I've needed to lose the past 4 years.
3. I will heal better after procedures and surgeries when my blood glucose levels are under control.
4. I'm less tempted to eat outside of my meal plan because I HAVE a plan.
5. I will be more understanding of what other diabetics are going through.
6. By catching it early, I avoid or delay some of the long-term affects of the disease.
7. I will become physically fit as I follow a disciplined exercise plan.
8. I'm allowed to eat a variety of foods all within my appetites and cravings.
9. I will save money on groceries and restaurant bills as my portion sizes decrease.
10. When my body reaches a healthier status I will feel better, which will then affect my spiritual and emotional health as well.

When asked how to eat an elephant, the reply was “One bite at a time.” This is also the best advice for dealing with any problem — just take it one bite at a time.

Ask God to help you overcome one seemingly insurmountable problem this year. Allow Him to help you to view the problem from a different perspective. Break down the issues, one bite at a time. You can swallow anything if the bites are small enough. Before you know it, you will have victory over your trial. Start with the right attitude, and entrust the circumstance to God. He will give you the sufficient grace to cope with any of Life’s many unpleasant situations. And in the end, that gratitude list might evolve from an exercise to abundant joy.