The Value of A Higher Power - Part 1

How can a Higher Power Help Manage Diabetes

Once again I have to say I am completely amazed at the number of readers and people coming to this blog.  I truly appreciate you taking the time and energy to read about my journey.  But more importantly, I hope one of you can start a journey of success and complete a life style change as I am on.  We have a long ways to go - I hope many years of the journey.

You have been able to top the 2,000 mark and we now have ten countries in our little community.  We are truly blessed to know each other.

FBS - 126 this morning.  I watched the Carrie Underwood Sound of Music last night and got so carried away - I ate a lot of pop corn.  All of that, after I just posted how much sodium us Americans have.  Well, sometimes, you just have to enjoy life.  I can honestly say if you get a chance to watch the special or it comes on again, it is worth it.  Carrie has done some amazing things with her voice and has taken many lessons to get it where it is at.  I am not saying she is Julie Andrews, that would be a real difficult act to follow - but man was she close.  I could not put down the pop corn - just keep eating and watching.  It was fantastic - oh yeah - Carrie was really good as well!!  LOL (Laughing Out Loud)!

So many of you have sent nice compliments on the series God's Amazing Body and I appreciate the feedback. I only hope this Sunday series is as good as that one.

This series will focus on Our Higher Power and how they can help us manage our lifestyle change and how they can help us get our diabetes under control.  We will explore stress management. relationships, support, and many other aspects of a High Power and how they can contribute to our lives.

Introduction to my Higher Power

I do not know who your Higher Power is; but, there is a good chance your Higher Power is my Higher Power - God.  I say that as the world claims that 75% of the religions people follow are based on Abrahamic (Abraham) - God focused.  

I have another blog which is being done out of passion and not from a desire to help manage a chronic disease.  That blog is about a historical view of Christianity and the United States.  One of the posts, I discuss One God, Three Religions.  This is who my Higher Power is.

I am a Christian who practices the Catholic faith.  I am a true believer that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and arrived here on earth to remove our sins.  But that is just part of the story and what a Higher Power can do for us.  On this small journey I hope to show you how eating right, exercise, and medications are not the only thing that helps.  They are the only things we will read about in magazines, journals, and from doctors; but, for this community, we will use our Higher Power also to help manage our diabetes.

A Higher Power Other Than God - Story

I was listening to my Christian radio station and heard a story about a young lady (well younger than me) and she was discussing when she was a drug addict, living on the streets, a prostitute, and  an alcoholic.  WOW, and I only have diabetes, this is amazing that someone like her could be on a radio discussing her Higher Power.  She is truly lucky to be alive today to tell her story.

But her story got me wondering, does our Higher Power do more for us then we think, and the answer is probably yes - and that is what this series will explore, how do we tap into that power to help manage our life style change.

Sorry, back to the young lady.  While she was living on the streets at night, she had picked up a Power Ranger (you know the Power Ranger heroes) along the way when she was first getting started.  That Power Ranger went with her everywhere and she relied on that Power Ranger.  

She kept it in her pocket and when things were difficult she would pull out the Power Range and she would talk to it and she could hear it talking back to her and helping comfort her.

When she was afraid or something was happening to her, she would pull out that Power Ranger and she would cling on to it with all her hopes and all her fears and the Power Ranger would help her make it through the event.

Being lonely a lot, she would use the Power Ranger as a companion and talk to it.  She would share her dreams and innermost thoughts with the Power Ranger.  These conversations would give her hope and allow her to stay alive and try one more day.

When she needed something, she would pull out the Power Ranger and explain her needs and somehow the Power Range would deliver what she wanted.

Then one day - the Holy Spirit arrived on the scene and demonstrated to her a better POWER RANGER - the one true POWER RANGER!  She was able to give her life to Christ and defeat her addictions and is now on a better path and journey.

Now we know, and she knows, the Power Ranger did not do any of those things - but to her it did and it was real.  I think she still has the Power Ranger just to remind her of those days.

My point with this series will be, how can we use our Higher Power to help us on the journey.

"Lean" Into Your Higher Power

The basic concept of this series will be for us to learn how to "lean" into our Higher Power and use our Higher Power to alter our lifestyle.  The young lady I just mentioned, "leaned" into her Power Ranger for support and comfort.  We will explore ways of doing that and how that lean will help us manage a better lifestyle.

Leaning into your Higher Power means to give it all up and fully trust your Higher Power.  I am not an inventor of this Higher Power concept - it really comes from the 1930s and Alcoholic Anonymous.  They use it in their 12 step program of recovery.  Here is what they say: 

Alcoholics Anonymous

The terms 'higher power' and 'power greater than ourselves' appear in the "Big Book", on three occasions:

• "Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity." 
• "The alcoholic at certain times has no effective mental defense against the first drink. Except in a few cases, neither he nor any other human being can provide such a defense. His defense must come from a Higher Power." 
• "Follow the dictates of a Higher Power and you will presently live in a new and wonderful world, no matter what your present circumstances!"

Simple concept - NOT!!!  This is not easy - we often discuss this and we mention it - but I challenge you to truly lean into your Higher Power for support.  Get ready to use them as effectively as you use eating, exercise, and medicines to control your diabetes.

Times I Leaned Into My Higher Power - God

You are reading this blog so you know how I leaned into God to help me quit smoking and how I leaned into him to help me with my life style change.  These stories are just a few times that I leaned into God for his help and trusted him to deliver.

The most difficult time in my life is when I lost a business during the 2008 - 2009 Credit Financial crash.  I had a business that developed software for banks and was just getting started.  We were making good traction and then the crash hit.  Many small businesses went under during that time - I was not the only one.

Kathleen and I was in the process of losing our house and home.  I had invested our life savings into the company and I lost it all.  We had no idea where we were going to live, how we would survive, or what would happen to us.

During the business years, I traveled and worried more about the business than my relationship with God or Kathleen.  So when it all went south, I had a choice, lean into God or be angry.  I am so fortunate to have a steadfast wife who talked me into leaning into God for help and support.  During that time, I learned to pray more, learned to love a little more, and learned to live a little more.

Most importantly, I learned living in the "Present Moment" with God and Kathleen was the best moment of my life.  Then I noticed each day and each moment started feeling like that.  We prayed together, we played together, and we learned to love each other as we did when we were younger.

I am a firm believer that without God, I would have never pulled through those times.  But what really happened is I found it okay to "Lean" into my God and ask him for help.  I was worthy of his love and support.

That is the place I want you to get to with your Higher Power as we go through this series.  Learn to trust them.  Learn to listen to them.  Learn to "Lean" into them.  No matter who or what your Higher Power is, get close to them to help you through this life style change.

God, a simple request, please give us all the ability to "Lean" into you and to allow you to give us the gifts you want for us.  Allow us to take care of this temple you have provided and this Amazing Body you gave us.  Give us the courage to treat it right.

Bob,