diabetes

Insoles For The Soul

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foot-1Yesterday I saw the aging process in the life of a small child and his grandfather—both were trying to walk.  The toddler was doing what toddlers do; he was learning to walk.  He would take a couple of stumbling steps, fall down, and get up and go again.

The obstacle that challenged both young and old was balance.  The toddler was trying to learn it, and his grandfather was trying to regain it.

Due to the aging process, disease, strokes, and diabetes, some people begin to notice an increasing problem with maintaining their balance.  According to Harvard’s Wyss Institute, the neurons in the feet are part of the problem.

The neural ion channels are part of the nerve system in our feet and they help to control our balance; but, they are “often desensitized in seniors.” The result of this desensitization is a person is more apt to fall.

The Wyss Institute learned that random vibrations could reopen the neural ion channels, so their researchers began to develop an insole that would create those type of vibrations.   Testing of the technologically advanced insole has shown an increase in both motor control and balance.

In 2013, Discover Magazine reported that seniors standing on the vibrating insoles in the lab demonstrated the same balance as people in their 20s.

Whether it’s physical, mental, or spiritual, balance is an essential to every aspect of a healthy life.  This was at the heart of Jesus’ encounter with Mary and Martha. Like these two sisters,  we can struggle to find the balance between work and worship.

What are some of the characteristics of a balanced life? The balanced person will:

  • Realize that he is a new creation in Christ: 2 Corinthians 5:17
  • Understand he is both an offender and the offended, so he will offer and ask for forgiveness: Ephesians 4:32
  • Learn to abide in the abundant life of Christ: John 10:10; 15:11
  • Pursue loving relationships: John 13:34, 35; Romans 12:16

To live a balanced life, do your best to maintain the spiritual channels that keep you in step with Christ.  You can do this by living for Jesus and not just yourself, and by continuing to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).”

 

 

A Deadly Diagnosis

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dt_140627_insulin_syringe_800x600Based on a report that was published September 8th in the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than half of Asian Americans and nearly half of Hispanic Americans with diabetes are undiagnosed.  The figures indicate that 51% of Asian Americans and 49% of Hispanics are afflicted with the disease, and they don’t know it.

When you read statistics like these, there’s a danger of misinterpreting them. The report does not say that 51% of all Asia Americans and 49% of all Hispanics have diabetes.  The study indicates of those who do have it, only above half of them are aware of the diseases’ presence.

There is an even more alarming and much older report of a significant and deadly diagnosis that has permeated both Asian American and Hispanic populations.  It is an actual worldwide epidemic that strikes young and old alike, and it is not confined to ethic groupings.

Please excuse me, but to name it and describe it, I’ll have to use a politically incorrect and unacceptable word: “Sin!”

In the book of Romans, Paul bluntly states that everyone has sinned and come short of the glory of God (3:23).  Later in this same book, he said, “Where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more, so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

What do Asian Americans and Hispanics do when they discover that they have this diagnosis that can be deadly?  They seek treatment from a qualified physician.

What will you do now that know you’re also afflicted with an unmentionable disease?  Let me whisper the word….”sin.”

Because it’s a spiritual disease, you’ll need to see the Great Physician for a remedy:

  •  John 3:36: “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
  • Romans 10:9-10:  “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

Just like a diabetic needs insulin injections, you need to take your medicine as well. There are no side effects, and it will lead to eternal life:   “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).”

From Deadly to Dazzling and Delightful

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eggs2They’ve gone from being downright deadly to dazzling and delightful.  Eggs were all but banned by dietitians and doctors alike; however, I recently heard a person should eat four eggs a week to help ward off on the onset of diabetes.

Eggs have been a topic of discussion and an element of speech ever since the first person asked:  “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”

How many of these egg-laced phrases have you heard?

  • He egged me on.
  • I have egg on my face.
  • There’s an egghead.
  • Boy, he really laid an egg.
  • Be careful, talking with him is like walking on egg shells.
  • Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.

Most of the egg-centric philosophy above is pretty good advice; however, I have to question the context of the last one.  It’s wise to put all of your eggs in one basket when that basket is Jesus.

If you remember the exchange that Jesus had with Peter, you might agree with me:  Jesus said to the Apostles, “Do you also want to go away?” But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (John 6:67-69).”

When it comes to the basket of eternal life, I hope you will come to know and to believe that Jesus is the Son of the living God.