CRASHING AND COASTING

I’ve spent the better part of 4 decades being manhandled by flailing blood sugar, a/k/a, hypoglycemia.  For me, the problem was exacerbated by what I was eating. Example: I would eat half a dozen glazed donuts. The result was soaring blood sugar, then crashing blood sugar. The end result was that I became twitchy, anxious, and so desperate for food that I would gladly shove anybody onto the floor who got between me and the refrigerator ... where the rest of the donuts lived ... and the cookies and cake and ice cream. Not a particularly pleasant, or intelligent, way to live. 

Long story short ... the Lord took matters into His own hands by showing me that THIS MUST STOP, and that I needed to do the dreaded DETOX. That’s right, I of the no-self-control tribe suddenly became able to cleanse myself of sugar, and by golly, I leveled out. I became able to eat real food, then stop. I found no pleasure in the daily crud-food circus anymore. I became able to coast through my days, not crash and twitch. What a miracle!

 

Lesson 1: There’s now an obvious difference between knowing that I’m hungry when my stomach tells me, and then to eat what’s good for me ... versus thinking that I’m hungry every time my blood sugar lies to me and convinces me I’m hungry for more junk.

 

I bet you’re waiting for a convoluted spiritual lesson here, aren’t you? Well, take a deep breath.

 

Lesson 2: If I depend on circumstances and feelings to tell me what I think is “true” ... I’m gonna crash and twitch through my days, and probably shove other people around. If I do not depend on the Solid Rock that is Christ, on the truth that is God’s Word, I will flail around and be totally confused and useless. I’m likely to be “driven and tossed, and unstable” if I don’t get my wisdom from God (James 1:5-8). If, however, I run my life according to what I KNOW is true from God’s Word (Job 19:25; Romans 8:28; 2 Corinthians 4:14; 1 John 5:20), I’m much more likely to “coast” through my days, being fruitful for Him.

 

Abba Father, I am so thankful that You use my everyday circumstances to drive home lessons that I so badly need to learn. I praise You for the wisdom and patience You exhibit towards me while I flail around independent from You, and how You lovingly draw me to Yourself when I need it. Which is almost every minute of every day. You are indeed a merciful Father!

IDENTITY THEFT

 

A few years ago, I had a mild taste of identity theft.  It seems that a doofus little teenager, with no money of his own, used his hacking powers for evil instead of good.  He stole my credit card information to purchase $500 worth of teenage-type music and a Playstation.  Wicked, wicked ignorant boy, who thought he’d never be caught!  Apparently nobody ever taught him that his sin would find him out (Numbers 32:23).  I am very thankful that my credit card company was diligently watchful and determined that these charges were abnormal for me, the unwicked sweet little old lady, who has an entirely different outlook on what constitutes good music.  It took 8 months for the company to annihilate the charges from my card, thus leading me to decide it’s better to bargain only with cash, marbles, and jelly beans.

It has occurred to me that, just as I was miffed to find someone misusing my identity, probably Jesus isn’t all that crazy about people with a “form of godliness” (2 Timothy 3:5), a/k/a “tares” (Matthew 13:24-30), who misuse His name for their own ego and pleasure.  It reminds me that I was also once a "tare."  And it also reminds me that, even now, I must be aware of my own motives, of not using Your name for my benefit instead of Your glory.

Thank You, my Jesus, that You graciously gave Your identity to me, so that I'm no longer an identity-thieving "tare."  I have the privilege of calling myself by Your name.  It's not to make me look good, but instead to be fruitful, making You look BEST to the yet-to-be-saved people that You put into my life.  I'm eternally thankful that You have given me the right to be called a child of God (John 1:12; Galatians 3:26).  How blessed I am to be able to say, hallelujah, what a Savior You are!