This morning I went to the doctor and received a very pleasant surprise: My blood pressure was 122/70! For several years now I've been experiencing blood pressure issues, even to the point that I was taking blood pressure medicine for awhile. My average over the last several years has been 130/80, so you can imagine how happy I was to have that news. I've got a ways to go, but this has let me know that I'm on the right path!
I'm so thankful that God has led me this way, and that I choose to follow Him. I read Proverbs 9:11 this morning and basked in His promise, "For through me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life."
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
My Name is...and I'm a Sugar Addict
Speechless. Last night I was absolutely speechless as I glanced into a jewelry store at my local shopping mall and saw an advertisement featuring...Elvis! His influence seems to know no bounds!
It seems like I've had more "Elvis experiences" this year than I've had in my entire life! Earlier this year the females in my family had a Girls Night Out to see Nathan Belt perform his Elvis impersonation. I only went to be with my family but, by the intermission, my mind was puzzling over the man who had inspired others to keep his image alive decades later.
My interest had dwindled until two weeks ago, when I saw Elvis Presley at church. As I twisted and turned to step out of my car, I spotted him passing by as he headed to the church's main entrance. He looked just like he did almost 40 years ago--black hair, aviator-style sunglasses. I found my eyes riveted to him because the similarity was so uncanny. While I knew that he wasn't actually Elvis, I think that it may be what triggered the course of events that have led me on a path I never thought I'd be taking.
My interest in the life and music of Elvis could only be described as mild. I've never been to Graceland, seen any of his movies, or had a black velvet portrait. However, one week ago today, I found myself searching online for information about him. As I watched a video of his last performance, I barely recognized him. It seemed to me that his body was losing a battle against toxic overload rather than simply being overweight. Searching further, I found a website that mentioned that his mother's side of the family struggled with various addictions and early deaths as a result. One photo of Gladys captured my attention as I noticed that her physique closely resembled mine, and the photo was taken only two years before her death. I looked at her and wondered what she would have done if she'd known that she only had two years left. I thought again to Elvis and mourned the loss of what could have been had he not succumbed to his drug addiction. That's when it hit me that he was only one year older than me when he died.
With this thought came the understanding, which I believe was shown to me by the Holy Spirit, that I would be facing the same fate if I did not change my ways. What would I do if I knew that I only had a year or two left to live? I asked God what I needed to change, and sugar came to mind. There are no 12 steps for sugar addiction, so I searched online for the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Imagine my surprise at how aptly the description of addiction applied to my relationship with sugar!
I was so sobered by the thought of dying that I turned my sugar addiction over to God that very night. Anything that has extraordinary amounts of sugar in it--desserts, candy, soft drinks, even the versions made with artificial sweeteners that would still feed that craving for sugar--I now view as an alcoholic would view a bottle of wine. Is it possible to live a life free of sweets? Now there's a question I never thought I'd ask!
As I have mentioned my decision to people, I have heard several stories about how rough the first week or two can be. I am blessed to say that God relieved me of that craving immediately and I have had no struggles or desires for sugar since. That doesn't mean that I haven't been faced with temptation! Two days ago an unknowing coworker came over to my desk and placed a piece of strawberry cake there, complete with a fork and napkin. I thanked her and then, when no one was around, I threw it away. I don't want to encourage others to do what I will not by passing it along to someone else.
Even after telling another friend, she came up to me later with several cookies in her hand. She said, "I know you said you weren't having sugar, but these are homemade..." It is a good thing that I am not having sugar at all. If I were just avoiding it or eating it in moderation, those cookies would have found a home in my tummy! Not because I wanted them, but because I wouldn't want to risk hurting her feelings.
With this new perspective of being someone who is addicted to sugar, I went shopping. I entered a supercenter and immediately came upon an attractive display of a variety of cookies near the shopping carts. In the course of shopping for only a few items I was shocked at how much of the grocery section was dedicated to high-sugar items. Who can blame the store, though, when those items are so business-friendly? They cost very little to make, appeal to the masses because of the price and taste, and most have a ridiculously long shelf life. All companies involved stand to make a hefty profit. While the consumer thinks that his purchase is a bargain, it is costing him dearly.
As I recall how Elvis looked during his final concert--belly distended, face pale and swollen--it occurred to me that he was inTOXICated. One website by a renown university in New York lists common symptoms of toxicity on their website, and the symptoms are things that we tend to view as just a normal part of human existence--coughing, nausea, back pain, headache, depression, fatigue, swelling, infertility. Could it be that what we assume are just the result of living are, in fact, symptoms of a body that is trying its best to survive under the onslaught of toxins?
When you sit to dine with a ruler,
note well what is before you,
and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony.
Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive.
Do not eat the food of a stingy man,
do not crave his delicacies:
for he is the kind of man
who is always thinking about the cost.
"Eat and drink," he says to you,
but his heart is not with you.
You will vomit up the little you have eaten
and will have wasted your compliments.
Proverbs 23:1-3, 6-8
It seems like I've had more "Elvis experiences" this year than I've had in my entire life! Earlier this year the females in my family had a Girls Night Out to see Nathan Belt perform his Elvis impersonation. I only went to be with my family but, by the intermission, my mind was puzzling over the man who had inspired others to keep his image alive decades later.
My interest had dwindled until two weeks ago, when I saw Elvis Presley at church. As I twisted and turned to step out of my car, I spotted him passing by as he headed to the church's main entrance. He looked just like he did almost 40 years ago--black hair, aviator-style sunglasses. I found my eyes riveted to him because the similarity was so uncanny. While I knew that he wasn't actually Elvis, I think that it may be what triggered the course of events that have led me on a path I never thought I'd be taking.
My interest in the life and music of Elvis could only be described as mild. I've never been to Graceland, seen any of his movies, or had a black velvet portrait. However, one week ago today, I found myself searching online for information about him. As I watched a video of his last performance, I barely recognized him. It seemed to me that his body was losing a battle against toxic overload rather than simply being overweight. Searching further, I found a website that mentioned that his mother's side of the family struggled with various addictions and early deaths as a result. One photo of Gladys captured my attention as I noticed that her physique closely resembled mine, and the photo was taken only two years before her death. I looked at her and wondered what she would have done if she'd known that she only had two years left. I thought again to Elvis and mourned the loss of what could have been had he not succumbed to his drug addiction. That's when it hit me that he was only one year older than me when he died.
With this thought came the understanding, which I believe was shown to me by the Holy Spirit, that I would be facing the same fate if I did not change my ways. What would I do if I knew that I only had a year or two left to live? I asked God what I needed to change, and sugar came to mind. There are no 12 steps for sugar addiction, so I searched online for the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Imagine my surprise at how aptly the description of addiction applied to my relationship with sugar!
I was so sobered by the thought of dying that I turned my sugar addiction over to God that very night. Anything that has extraordinary amounts of sugar in it--desserts, candy, soft drinks, even the versions made with artificial sweeteners that would still feed that craving for sugar--I now view as an alcoholic would view a bottle of wine. Is it possible to live a life free of sweets? Now there's a question I never thought I'd ask!
As I have mentioned my decision to people, I have heard several stories about how rough the first week or two can be. I am blessed to say that God relieved me of that craving immediately and I have had no struggles or desires for sugar since. That doesn't mean that I haven't been faced with temptation! Two days ago an unknowing coworker came over to my desk and placed a piece of strawberry cake there, complete with a fork and napkin. I thanked her and then, when no one was around, I threw it away. I don't want to encourage others to do what I will not by passing it along to someone else.
Even after telling another friend, she came up to me later with several cookies in her hand. She said, "I know you said you weren't having sugar, but these are homemade..." It is a good thing that I am not having sugar at all. If I were just avoiding it or eating it in moderation, those cookies would have found a home in my tummy! Not because I wanted them, but because I wouldn't want to risk hurting her feelings.
With this new perspective of being someone who is addicted to sugar, I went shopping. I entered a supercenter and immediately came upon an attractive display of a variety of cookies near the shopping carts. In the course of shopping for only a few items I was shocked at how much of the grocery section was dedicated to high-sugar items. Who can blame the store, though, when those items are so business-friendly? They cost very little to make, appeal to the masses because of the price and taste, and most have a ridiculously long shelf life. All companies involved stand to make a hefty profit. While the consumer thinks that his purchase is a bargain, it is costing him dearly.
As I recall how Elvis looked during his final concert--belly distended, face pale and swollen--it occurred to me that he was inTOXICated. One website by a renown university in New York lists common symptoms of toxicity on their website, and the symptoms are things that we tend to view as just a normal part of human existence--coughing, nausea, back pain, headache, depression, fatigue, swelling, infertility. Could it be that what we assume are just the result of living are, in fact, symptoms of a body that is trying its best to survive under the onslaught of toxins?
When you sit to dine with a ruler,
note well what is before you,
and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony.
Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive.
Do not eat the food of a stingy man,
do not crave his delicacies:
for he is the kind of man
who is always thinking about the cost.
"Eat and drink," he says to you,
but his heart is not with you.
You will vomit up the little you have eaten
and will have wasted your compliments.
Proverbs 23:1-3, 6-8
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