Diabetes

To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of the LORD is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it. Jeremiah 6:10 (NIV)

My dad is very sick. It started out as food poisoning (another victim of a bad hamburger patty), but was complicated by his diabetes. We watch anxiously as he fights to maintain his blood sugar at the right level while being unable to keep anything down. Despite the pain, he cannot take many remedies because they react with his insulin. He is in his sixth day of the illness, and even weaker and sicker than he was when it first started. The diabetes worries me. I know I too am prone to it. When I was in graduate school, I gave myself hypoglycemia by living off of Krispy Kreme donuts. While it is the opposite of diabetes, it is also a disease of the pancreas related to improper insulin balance. It went undiagnosed until shortly after I married. Then, the doctor found it by accident when treating other symptoms. The depression, fatigue, and anxiety I felt were chalked up to the wedding and being a newlywed. So, I know that the disease is in my genes and that I could easily get it. Yet, I do not take care to eat right and consume a lot of sugar each day. I do so even though the signs of insulin resistance are getting more and more evident in my life. Sleeplessness, agitation, shakiness, mood swings. I just go eat more ice cream to make myself feel better when in fact, it makes me much worse. Today, I met a man who is recovering from foot surgery. He has diabetes and his foot became infected. He had a skin graft before his foot would heal. I have several friends who are diabetic as well. They complain of the side effects of the insulin that they take. One says her hair is falling out. Another bemoans the cost of her medication. Have another piece of cake, I think. That will keep my mind off my future. What is it about my brain that blocks out the warnings that are all around me? I have a friend who is making bad choices that could lead to disaster in her life. This friend when faced with the same difficulties always has the same reaction. Unfortunately, the way she copes is building into more and more problems. Soon, she will not be able to overcome them. Though surrounded by wise counsel, good examples, God’s word and strong teaching, she hears, but does not obey and falls back on old habits. I got on my high horse today. I was going to give her a piece of my mind. Wake up! I planned on saying. I felt like shaking some sense into her. But, is she any different from me? I just ate almost a dozen cookies. I can feel the crash coming as I write. When will she heed the warnings? When will I? We are both doomed unless we choose not only to listen, but to change our behavior. Not tomorrow, but now.