Thursday, September 2, 2010

Doing things different . . . . or differently

As many of you know, I have been given the gift of Neuropathy in both legs and feet.  Acupuncture has been  incredibly helpful for the severe burning pain, unfortunately insurance does not cover it, so I use it very sparingly due to my budget.  I was researching some things that the Neurologist and Pain Specialist both suggested that would help slow down the advancement of this disease.  One is to take lots of Thiamine and the other is to give up on the idea I can do the kind of walking I did before.  Walking accelerates more nerve damage in my feet and legs.  Also, with the numbness, I tend to trip and fall more than usual.  So I was whining to my friend and officemate Sabrina, about having a hard time letting go of walking.  I continued griping about how much I really wanted to walk 6 miles again or even do another marathon at some point.  I was ready for a big pity party and ready for Sabrina to pet me and tell me how sorry she was about my plight.  NOT! 

She said a few things that just hit me right between the eyes.  So matter of factly she said to me "Well I've never known anyone who could figure this out better than you can.  It's a great chance for you to do it different. . . . or differently!  How cool is that!  Maybe bike riding will be your new thing."  Uhmm, thanks Brina, I think.  She was absolutely right.  I do have an opportunity to try something new, and get better and better at it.  She was also right, that everything I needed was already in me, given to me by my Creator.  I could figure it out.  I could find some new thing to do for fitness.  When I step out, God will provide exactly what I need.  He always does.  Of course I knew all of this, but in my moments of not accepting what has been allowed in my life, I just forgot it for a minute.  In my moments of fighting reality, I was temporarily blinded by all that I could not do.  I had forgotten a monumental truth. . . . obstacles are just challenges, not prisons!

So it is with lifestyle change.  Floundering in my denial of reality will simply not move me into a healthier place.  Resisting what has been allowed into my space will not make it go away.  And finally, wallowing with shame blinds me from health and possibility in my life.  When we choose to step out, to walk in something different and new, to think differently, to behave differently, to learn differently and to experience feelings differently, we can know with full confidence, that God will provide exactly what we need, right when we need it.  What an encouraging truth!

Have a wonderful Labor Day week end and I'll see you all Tuesday.