You can choose TODAY
You can choose TODAY.
A while back, I had a patient scheduled for a procedure that had to be cancelled because her blood pressure was incredibly high.
I could tell that she was a smoker by the deep wrinkles in her skin and the raspiness in her voice, so I asked her, gently, if she had tried to stop smoking. No, not really, was the answer. I tried to think how I could inspire her to stop.
“I know your blood pressure is higher than normal because you’re nervous about the procedure, but it is so high, I have to instruct you to visit your primary doctor.”
She understood.
“I also have to let you know, that when you go to the doctor and if your blood pressure is still high—they will probably put you on a blood pressure medication.“
She agreed and told me that it was not what she wanted.
I instructed her to make an appointment to see her doctor, and suggested that in the meantime, she could stop smoking and drinking coffee to see what her blood pressure did when she saw the doctor.
“The good thing is that right now, you aren’t on any meds, so we have a real OPPORTUNITY to make some decisions. Either you keep going, have a heart attack or stroke, and need more and more meds to keep the blood pressure down. Or you can make some changes. I know it is scary to try this but we are at kind of a crossroads of sorts and you can really impact your future by making this decision!”
We are all ironically addicted to behaviors that, despite their financial, emotional and social costs, we seem helpless to fight. I believe that this is because there are forces at work in the universe—one force at work for the enslavement of humanity and the other to liberate us from the tyranny of addictions. At the heart of these decisions are great spiritual battles that humans alone are no match for.
So I pray with patients who want prayer and let them know that especially in these difficult health choices, they need divine strength and courage that God wants to give them.
A couple months later when doing lasers again, I saw a familiar face at the laser. It was the same lady, but this time she had a big smile on her face. By God’s grace, she had been able to stop smoking. And her blood pressure was lower without her needing blood pressure medications. What I was especially thrilled about was that she had started a journey of having courage to do things she would normally be afraid to do!
Perhaps you have experienced the shame and guilt that not being able to overcome an addiction can cause. Whether it is an addiction to smoking, alcohol, or even to pride or anger, we all struggle. And when we have fallen many times in the past, it takes courage to believe that things will be any different tomorrow. But that is the miracle of having a walk with God.
In my own journey, one of my favorite promises has been, “If anyone is in Christ they are a new creature. Former things are passed away, behold all things are become new”. The Creator God of the universe can create within us new desires, new tastes, new thoughts. Believing the promises of God rather than my feelings has given me the ability to move forward in faith rather than staying stuck in my own strength.
Maybe you are like my patient, stuck in a rut, and just beginning to realize how your life choices are negatively impacting you? Today is your opportunity to change the course of your life—Who and What will you choose? I hope that you choose to grasp the hand of God, seize the moment and DECIDE to move forward TODAY!