Having a problem or long term issue is never fun. Especially if it’s happening to you. Or to someone you love.
Such a thing happened to me about seven years ago when I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. I had heard of it. But didn’t know much about it.
What is going to happen now?
Don’t diabetics die young?
Am I going to get my feet amputated?
What about my family?
Am I now just a burden?
What is happening!
Oh the litany of questions seemed to have no end.
But life wasn’t going to be as hopeless as I thought. At the same however, it wasn’t always easy. It wasn’t always fun. But through the process of learning and changing things I have gained experiences and important lessons that have helped me throughout the passage of years to face new challenges and ordeals. These lessons include:
Embracing the uncertainty.
Like the ups and downs of the Blood Sugar rollercoaster, life is no different.
Everyone would rather that it was more like the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Where everything is ‘just right’.
But that is seldom how it works. It is more often too hot or too cold, too hard or too soft. Maybe you are at the heights of joy or the depths of sorrow. But to find a balance between them seems to be more elusive than a Sasquatch.
Embrace the routine and don’t beat yourself up if it flounders from time to time.
There are always going to be those days where, as we like to say in diabetic circles, you can do everything right and still end up with something off.
Don’t sweat it. Just pick yourself up and move on. You cannot control everything. But you can control how you respond.
The treadmill never stops
Diabetes is a 24/7/365 adventure. There are no vacations. Even nights fall victim. Once the treadmill starts you never get off. That’s just the way it is.
The same with your life. It is a long bumpy thing. The end is uncertain. Your purpose perhaps unclear. But you have to live it. Things will be better by and by.
God is there.
Though you may not see Him, though you cannot feel Him, He is there. Always.
He is there in your uncertainty.
He is there when you fail. He will grant you the grace to keep on going in the strength of His love.
He is there through the daily grind of your life.
He is there.
As the years have passed, these have been the major lessons in my life. I hope that you can benefit from them as I have.
May God bless you!
Thank you for reading.
I appreciated this word of encouragement. I have lived with multiple sclerosis for years. But I am currently struggling with blood sugar issues so this was helpful. Thanks. God bless you.
Oh so true! I have 3 kiddos with Type 1 and I have Latent Auto-Immune Diabetes Adult-Onset. Trying to keep those blood glucose numbers on an even keel can be madness-inducing! Once you get things figured out, something changes and you have to figure it out all over again, in a sense. I say it's the nature of the beast (the beast of diabetes). There are so many variables that can affect your blood sugar levels. There's no vacation from it, either. Every day, multiple times a day, you must check your blood glucose, inject insulin, count your carbohydrates, etc. That being said, I find that it is a very forgiving disease, as in we've made a lot of mistakes and most things are correctable. Our oldest with Type 1 was diagnosed 20 years ago now @ age 2 1/2, our 2nd oldest with Type 1 was also diagnosed at that tender age, and the youngest to be diagnosed was diagnosed on Thanksgiving day of 2019 at the age of 7. We are so blessed that they've been cooperative in getting their shots, as we've been told that some children have to be swaddled in order to be given their shots. If we had to do that, it would have been a zillion times harder. Also, now that I am insulin-dependent, I know how those shots and finger-sticks feel, and most of the time they aren't as bad as I thought. Even though I knew my children's bodies needed that insulin, it felt as though I was hurting them. Also, all these diagnoses - hard as they have been - have caused me to trust God more. When you and your loved ones are dependent on insulin for your very survival, it does put things in perspective. Thanks for this post, Jesse. God bless you and yours!