Merry Christmas Everyone!
We opened presents Christmas Eve this year so Mark would have an extra day with the kids and all of their new toys. My husband and I realized that this was an especially good Christmas for us. We have not only paid over $10k in medical bills in cash this year, but we have paid off a debt that has been hanging over our heads for a very long time. Previously at Christmas, we always felt guilty about spending ANY money for ANY gifts, because we thought we should use it to get rid of this debt. We would have fun, but the guilt would always linger.
Well this year that guilt is gone! And just like our guilt is gone from our debt, we can all have our guilt from sin erased. The Christ child was born to us this day a long time ago. He, too, brought a gift to the world which can erase all of our guilt from sin.
Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"
Throughout His life, Jesus gave us all a message about hope. And through His death and resurrection, He gave us all the chance to live eternally with Him.
Romans 6:23 states, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[a] Christ Jesus our Lord."
My last post was about forgiveness and how hard it can be sometimes. Christ broke those chains of unforgiveness and anger for me. He can do it for you, too, but He can do so much more. He HAS done so much more. On the cross, for you and for me.
John 3:16 states, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Probably most people reading this blog have heard this verse, but have you really heard the message behind it?
Just as it was liberating to Mark & I to have that old debt paid, Christ gave all of us a gift on the cross to free us from our sins. He paid the debt of sin for us.
I pray that you can ask for your own forgiveness from Him and accept Christ's gift today. Eternal life with Him. There is no more precious gift than that.
May God bless and keep you all healthy, safe and happy in the coming year.
Merry Christmas,
Debbie
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
A Betrayal and the Truth Revealed
Have you ever been betrayed? It's an awful feeling. Kind of like a train wreck on your emotions. At least for me it was. And what in the world does a post like this have to do with your health? Read on and you will find out...
I found out I was betrayed by someone I had known for about 2 years. In a nutshell, she lied about me, told someone else that lie which in turn caused that person to call me in a pretty upset frame of mind. I have since straightened it out with the upset person (I hope).
When I found out about all of this, I was looped out on Vicadin from my oral surgery and so things were sinking in slowly. But man, when the drug wore off, I was the one who was hopping mad. And I mean man, the steam was coming out of my ears! I kept praying, "Lord, take this anger away from me...I don't want it. I need to forgive and go on." But for some reason this stuff just kept hanging on despite all of my pleas and prayers that I just wanted to get on with my life. As usual, the Lord knows what is best and He had a better plan.
EVERY time I did a Bible study or went to church, a verse would jump out at me about the situation. Each one was verification for me that this person wronged me. I needed that verification because I kept thinking, "No, not her. How could she? She is such a Godly woman where I'm such a schmuck. I know my heart, Lord, and I DON'T have good feelings towards her. This is the 2nd time she has betrayed my trust."
And then my emotions would turn to hurt. "How could she do what she did? I never lied about her." However, I did wrong her by not confronting her when I should have. I told her I was sorry for that. I don't like to confront because I don't want feelings to get hurt. I need to change because as I found out, people can get hurt anyway so you may as well tell them what you are thinking(in the nicest possible way of course!) and get it over with.
"But Lord, she has never apologized to me or really accepted any responsiblity for her actions. I am still sooo angry and I can't seem to let it go."
And then I heard it. That still small voice.
"I was betrayed."
The lightbulb finally went on. I have never felt closer to my Saviour then I did at that moment. Yes, Jesus was betrayed. By one of his disciples. By Judas. And the rest of his disciples were nowhere to be found when things got rough. They abandoned Him...temporarily. He understood. He knew exactly how I was feeling. I reveled in that thought all day. He understands me. He can relate. He knows the hurt. He knows the anger. He knows the frustration. Would the truth ever come out? Would it matter if it did?
And how did Jesus react anyway? Hanging on the cross in what must have been excruciating pain, he uttered these words, "Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do."
Even then, He was forgiving me for my bad thoughts toward this person and forgiving her for her actions towards me. Forgiving all of us for the so many times we have all betrayed Him when we sin.
I slept peacefully that night and I woke up in peace the next morning. My soul was not in turmoil. The truth was revealed to me through Scripture and the voice of the Holy Spirit Himself. The chains were broken. I was no longer angry or feeling hurt. She was not my responsibility. She was His. He would work on her in His own way in His own timing. Just like He did with me. If she is open to it. I hope she is. I feel sorry for her if she is not.
What does this have to do with health? Well, unforgiveness can cause stress, which we all have read can be the root cause of the start of many illnesses. When all of this was going on I could literally feel it in my gut as a tight, hard ball. It was awful. I was so tense. So unhappy. I was under Dr.'s orders to keep my stress levels down. And I didn't want the Christmas Season to be ruined by something this gal did yet again. I had several over the phone sessions with my EFT counselor about this situation. This was now starting to cost me money! It helped tremendously, but it did not break that awful chain of anger. Only God could do that. I thank the Lord that He did.
My trust has been betrayed many times in my life. I have survived a violent crime, endured emotional abuse from people I loved, and psychological abuse from an organization I was a part of for years. There is a lot of stress involved. When you really look at my health history, there isn't a whole lot that can contribute to high blood sugar. There are some issues, but I think a lot of it is the feelings resulting from these events in my life. Feelings such as anger, frustration, a feeling of helplessness, unforgiveness, "what if" syndrome, etc. Jesus just broke one chain for me. He can break many others. He can break yours...if you let Him. I look forward to it.
That was the gist of my conversation with my husband. We talked about many other aspects of this situation, but that will have to wait for another time. Have a good, peaceful night's rest. I know I will.
Debbie
I found out I was betrayed by someone I had known for about 2 years. In a nutshell, she lied about me, told someone else that lie which in turn caused that person to call me in a pretty upset frame of mind. I have since straightened it out with the upset person (I hope).
When I found out about all of this, I was looped out on Vicadin from my oral surgery and so things were sinking in slowly. But man, when the drug wore off, I was the one who was hopping mad. And I mean man, the steam was coming out of my ears! I kept praying, "Lord, take this anger away from me...I don't want it. I need to forgive and go on." But for some reason this stuff just kept hanging on despite all of my pleas and prayers that I just wanted to get on with my life. As usual, the Lord knows what is best and He had a better plan.
EVERY time I did a Bible study or went to church, a verse would jump out at me about the situation. Each one was verification for me that this person wronged me. I needed that verification because I kept thinking, "No, not her. How could she? She is such a Godly woman where I'm such a schmuck. I know my heart, Lord, and I DON'T have good feelings towards her. This is the 2nd time she has betrayed my trust."
And then my emotions would turn to hurt. "How could she do what she did? I never lied about her." However, I did wrong her by not confronting her when I should have. I told her I was sorry for that. I don't like to confront because I don't want feelings to get hurt. I need to change because as I found out, people can get hurt anyway so you may as well tell them what you are thinking(in the nicest possible way of course!) and get it over with.
"But Lord, she has never apologized to me or really accepted any responsiblity for her actions. I am still sooo angry and I can't seem to let it go."
And then I heard it. That still small voice.
"I was betrayed."
The lightbulb finally went on. I have never felt closer to my Saviour then I did at that moment. Yes, Jesus was betrayed. By one of his disciples. By Judas. And the rest of his disciples were nowhere to be found when things got rough. They abandoned Him...temporarily. He understood. He knew exactly how I was feeling. I reveled in that thought all day. He understands me. He can relate. He knows the hurt. He knows the anger. He knows the frustration. Would the truth ever come out? Would it matter if it did?
And how did Jesus react anyway? Hanging on the cross in what must have been excruciating pain, he uttered these words, "Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do."
Even then, He was forgiving me for my bad thoughts toward this person and forgiving her for her actions towards me. Forgiving all of us for the so many times we have all betrayed Him when we sin.
I slept peacefully that night and I woke up in peace the next morning. My soul was not in turmoil. The truth was revealed to me through Scripture and the voice of the Holy Spirit Himself. The chains were broken. I was no longer angry or feeling hurt. She was not my responsibility. She was His. He would work on her in His own way in His own timing. Just like He did with me. If she is open to it. I hope she is. I feel sorry for her if she is not.
What does this have to do with health? Well, unforgiveness can cause stress, which we all have read can be the root cause of the start of many illnesses. When all of this was going on I could literally feel it in my gut as a tight, hard ball. It was awful. I was so tense. So unhappy. I was under Dr.'s orders to keep my stress levels down. And I didn't want the Christmas Season to be ruined by something this gal did yet again. I had several over the phone sessions with my EFT counselor about this situation. This was now starting to cost me money! It helped tremendously, but it did not break that awful chain of anger. Only God could do that. I thank the Lord that He did.
My trust has been betrayed many times in my life. I have survived a violent crime, endured emotional abuse from people I loved, and psychological abuse from an organization I was a part of for years. There is a lot of stress involved. When you really look at my health history, there isn't a whole lot that can contribute to high blood sugar. There are some issues, but I think a lot of it is the feelings resulting from these events in my life. Feelings such as anger, frustration, a feeling of helplessness, unforgiveness, "what if" syndrome, etc. Jesus just broke one chain for me. He can break many others. He can break yours...if you let Him. I look forward to it.
That was the gist of my conversation with my husband. We talked about many other aspects of this situation, but that will have to wait for another time. Have a good, peaceful night's rest. I know I will.
Debbie
The Nutritionist's Reply...
I received this reply from my nutritionist within about 10 minutes of sending her an email. Wow! What great service. :) Here is what she said,
"I think your suspicion is correct. You must have been exposed (or over-exposed) to chemicals. You can take some buffered, powdered Vitamin C in a cup of water to clear the reaction. You may have to repeat in 15 minutes or so. When you take it in water, it gets absorbed right away so the redness and swelling will subside quickly. I would also take some Vitamin C (1,000 to 2,000 mg) daily for the next week or so. "
Hopefully it will never happen again, but if it does, I will have my Vitamin C handy. :)
My husband & I had a great conversation last night about the "Judas'" in our lives who betray our trust, forgiveness, how God can break those chains of unforgiveness so you can find healing, & learning from our experiences. I'll share more next time. Right now I'm off to do one of my favorite things...Jazzercise!
Have a great day!
Debbie
"I think your suspicion is correct. You must have been exposed (or over-exposed) to chemicals. You can take some buffered, powdered Vitamin C in a cup of water to clear the reaction. You may have to repeat in 15 minutes or so. When you take it in water, it gets absorbed right away so the redness and swelling will subside quickly. I would also take some Vitamin C (1,000 to 2,000 mg) daily for the next week or so. "
Hopefully it will never happen again, but if it does, I will have my Vitamin C handy. :)
My husband & I had a great conversation last night about the "Judas'" in our lives who betray our trust, forgiveness, how God can break those chains of unforgiveness so you can find healing, & learning from our experiences. I'll share more next time. Right now I'm off to do one of my favorite things...Jazzercise!
Have a great day!
Debbie
Thursday, December 20, 2007
A chemical reaction?
Hi everyone,
I hope you are all doing well during this busy Christmas season. I wanted to quickly address something and see if any of you have some feedback.
Yesterday I felt my face heat up and when I went to the mirror, my whole face was beet red and I watched it slowly spread down my arms, trunk, and legs. It was the weirdest thing. Thinking I was having an allergic reaction, I took some Children's Benadryl and it slowly went away. I have NEVER had a reaction like that. Do you all think it was something I ate or possibly from the chemicals we have used cleaning Mark's work office recently? I'm thinking it's the chemicals since we don't usually do this job. The people who normally do it are on vacation so we took it over for the week. I emailed my nutritionist and am awaiting a reply...
Now that the Christmas cards are mailed and our shopping is done, hopefully I will have a little time to research this on my own.
I have some good news to share and that is my mom's transition to a care facility has gone smoothly. According to the reports I've received from my brother & sister, she is surrounded by loving caregivers. The facility itself is really nice and they do a lot of activities with the residents. Even in her current physical and mental state, I can't wait to see her again. I miss her.
That's all the news I have for now. Please stay safe during this very busy season.
Debbie
P.S. The Christmas party was great fun as usual. I'll attempt to get a picture on here soon.
I hope you are all doing well during this busy Christmas season. I wanted to quickly address something and see if any of you have some feedback.
Yesterday I felt my face heat up and when I went to the mirror, my whole face was beet red and I watched it slowly spread down my arms, trunk, and legs. It was the weirdest thing. Thinking I was having an allergic reaction, I took some Children's Benadryl and it slowly went away. I have NEVER had a reaction like that. Do you all think it was something I ate or possibly from the chemicals we have used cleaning Mark's work office recently? I'm thinking it's the chemicals since we don't usually do this job. The people who normally do it are on vacation so we took it over for the week. I emailed my nutritionist and am awaiting a reply...
Now that the Christmas cards are mailed and our shopping is done, hopefully I will have a little time to research this on my own.
I have some good news to share and that is my mom's transition to a care facility has gone smoothly. According to the reports I've received from my brother & sister, she is surrounded by loving caregivers. The facility itself is really nice and they do a lot of activities with the residents. Even in her current physical and mental state, I can't wait to see her again. I miss her.
That's all the news I have for now. Please stay safe during this very busy season.
Debbie
P.S. The Christmas party was great fun as usual. I'll attempt to get a picture on here soon.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
A verse shared with me today by my son
Drake just came up to me today and showed me in his little New Testament Bible the following verse.
Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?"
And then Drake said, "You are diabetic." So I replied, "Are you saying I shouldn't worry about what to eat?"
"Yes, Mom"
Wow! What an awesome God we serve who will give a verse to an 8yo boy who sees his mother agonize over what to eat at every meal. I am without words...
Debbie
Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?"
And then Drake said, "You are diabetic." So I replied, "Are you saying I shouldn't worry about what to eat?"
"Yes, Mom"
Wow! What an awesome God we serve who will give a verse to an 8yo boy who sees his mother agonize over what to eat at every meal. I am without words...
Debbie
Monday, December 10, 2007
It fits!
Last week I won a $178 hand made Scala dress on ebay for $30 (including shipping) to wear at Mark's work Christmas party. It came in today and fits like a glove. I am so relieved and excited!!! Dave throws the best Christmas parties and we are priveleged to be a part of it. This Christmas party is actually one that we look forward to attending. It's nonalcoholic so you don't have to worry about anyone getting drunk and everyone has a wonderful time. Great employer, great entertainment, great food and great friends. Who could ask for more?
Saturday, December 8, 2007
I am thrilled! Update on my condition
It only took countless phone calls and about 3 weeks, but what I need to continue my wellness program is finally here!
Here is what I'm currently taking.
For Adrenal support: Pregnenolone and DHEA, balance 8(super vitamin, and 2400 mg Vitamin C per day
For digestive support:(To get rid of the "bad" bacteria in my gut and for healing):3000 mg L-Glutamine, 2000 mg Licorice Root extract, 2000 mg Mastic Gum extract, 500 mg Bismuth citrate, 200 mg berberine sulfate hydrate, and 200 mg ginger root extract.
I am also taking 200 mg of CoQ10 and 500 mg L-Lysine per day.
I have already noticed a drop in my blood sugar levels. I can't wait to see how I will be in a few months. The plan is to detox my liver after my adrenals and digestive system are healed. I am also following a mixed carb/protein diet, but leaning more towards the protein side. Almost all of my carbs come from vegetables. My current weight is 109 lbs, which gives me a normal BMI (body mass index) reading.
I was thrilled this past week when a total stranger contacted me about my blog. I somehow came up on a Google search so I thought that was awesome that others can be helped by this blog. This person went to Dr. Mercola's Optimal Wellness Center this past week and had a great, although overwhelming, experience similar to my own. I'm glad she went. I think it will change her life in a positive way as it did mine.
On a sad note, my Mom will most likely be going into an Alzheimer's care facility next Wednesday or Thursday. It's a sad time for the whole family , but I think she will be better off surrounded by professionals who can help her any time of the day or night. It will also greatly relieve my Dad, who has been caring for her literally around the clock. He has gone above and beyond what anyone would expect in his care for her, but he is exhausted and needs a break. I think I will invite him to see us for Christmas. I am planning on flying back to AZ after the holidays anyway.
Mark & the kiddos are out Christmas shopping so I have the whole house to myself. I think I will work on our Christmas puzzle. To heck with the housework, I'm under dr.'s orders to relax and enjoy myself. :)
Take care of yourselves,
Debbie
Here is what I'm currently taking.
For Adrenal support: Pregnenolone and DHEA, balance 8(super vitamin, and 2400 mg Vitamin C per day
For digestive support:(To get rid of the "bad" bacteria in my gut and for healing):3000 mg L-Glutamine, 2000 mg Licorice Root extract, 2000 mg Mastic Gum extract, 500 mg Bismuth citrate, 200 mg berberine sulfate hydrate, and 200 mg ginger root extract.
I am also taking 200 mg of CoQ10 and 500 mg L-Lysine per day.
I have already noticed a drop in my blood sugar levels. I can't wait to see how I will be in a few months. The plan is to detox my liver after my adrenals and digestive system are healed. I am also following a mixed carb/protein diet, but leaning more towards the protein side. Almost all of my carbs come from vegetables. My current weight is 109 lbs, which gives me a normal BMI (body mass index) reading.
I was thrilled this past week when a total stranger contacted me about my blog. I somehow came up on a Google search so I thought that was awesome that others can be helped by this blog. This person went to Dr. Mercola's Optimal Wellness Center this past week and had a great, although overwhelming, experience similar to my own. I'm glad she went. I think it will change her life in a positive way as it did mine.
On a sad note, my Mom will most likely be going into an Alzheimer's care facility next Wednesday or Thursday. It's a sad time for the whole family , but I think she will be better off surrounded by professionals who can help her any time of the day or night. It will also greatly relieve my Dad, who has been caring for her literally around the clock. He has gone above and beyond what anyone would expect in his care for her, but he is exhausted and needs a break. I think I will invite him to see us for Christmas. I am planning on flying back to AZ after the holidays anyway.
Mark & the kiddos are out Christmas shopping so I have the whole house to myself. I think I will work on our Christmas puzzle. To heck with the housework, I'm under dr.'s orders to relax and enjoy myself. :)
Take care of yourselves,
Debbie
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