Ten weeks ago I learned I had heart disease. The plaque building in my arteries could rupture at any time causing a fatal heart attack. Tough news to process at 52?
I was sent home with a pat on the back, two shiny new heart stents and bag full of drugs to lower my cholesterol and blood pressure. But why were we simply treating symptoms and not the root causes of this disease? I’ve since learned a heart healthy diet of fruits, vegetables, beans, and nuts and daily exercise can arrest and even cure heart disease.
My cardiologist called me stubborn when he learned I was fully committed to the change and had discontinued his blood pressure medication! Its scary to go against conventional wisdom with your life on the line. However, my blood pressure has dropped from 120/80 to 105/62 without the blood pressure medication! I’ve also lost 28 pounds and feel the best I’ve felt in 15 years.
The experience has me thinking…….
Am I honest about my deeper spiritual diseases or just floating along with conventional thinking?
Am I willing to trust Him and make whatever lifestyle changes necessary?
Do I put myself in situations where I’m in trouble if He doesn’t come through?
How about you?
“If you spend yourself in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like noonday.” Isaiah 58
It probably says something about the culture in which we live in that we almost always feel a pill will make us better.
Is it because we crave the easy way out? Are we afraid of some hard work? Or is it because we fear what will happen if we dont listen to the Doctors or our friends?
Kudos Ed, for doing it the hard way.
I have found that everyone wants the easy way out and it surprises people when they see us/myself trying to do it the old fashioned way of gritting my teeth and punching through. Thinking back to the saying, when the going gets tough, the tough get going, and it seems that alot of people like to either drop out when the tough gets going, or we start looking for easier ways out.
Though I believe in hard work, pushing through, and “the tough get going” – I also believe that because we have the tendency to float along with conventional thinking, we also need to be careful not to take the “tough get going” mindset too far either. As you said “Do I put myself in situations where I’m in trouble if He doesn’t come through” – I believe it can swing 2 ways. We can float with conventional thinking and get caught in the ways of the world, or if we work too hard, we can lose track of what it means to be saved by grace.
I am coming to the realization that the reason why I struggle with redemption is because I have the mindset that if I don’t respond to Christ 100% of the time as He has called us to live, than I must work harder to work towards that perfection…which is impossible. I must take the middle road and remember that Christ’s yoke is light, while also remembering that He never promised that being His followers’ lives would be easy.
I hope that made sense, and I apologize if it didn’t…I’m still struggling.
This reminds me of a book I read several years ago….John Ortberg’s “If You Want To Walk On Water, You Have To Get Out Of The Boat.” Simply said…..get out of the safety mode and trust God.
The motto of our culture is “quick fix” and there does seems to be a “pill” for everything. Guilty here…..don’t get me wrong….there are many amazing medications and they are essential for many people. But whatever our medical or personal battle of the moment is…..cholesterol, blood pressure, weight loss, finances, relationships, addictions, envy, spiritual pacivity, etc…..the easy way is usually just short term. It is easy to deal with things on surface.
Thanks for the challenge to dig deep…..I think it time for me to re-read Ortberg’s book.
Derek,
I think we bought into the lie that there is an easy way out. We don’t have to be fully responsible for our actions.
There’s symptoms of that in the recent economic turmoil, social struggles, as well as health issues. I’m encourage the recent economic trauma is bringing us back to a more honest approach to all three areas.
Thanks for the insight,
Ed
Forest,
I really appreciate your thoughts. There is a real tension there between saved by grace and faith without works is dead.
I sense that tension remains until our last breath.
Blessings,
Ed
Lynn,
You did a far better job expanding on the post than I did in my response to Derek’s comment above.
Nice work…great thoughts…you make me want to read Ortberg’s book as well.
Ed