I am beginning my journey in living with diabetes. I make that statement to set the stage, not to look for sympathy. Like any new thing in my life, I have been reading. I research. I did it before I bought my first computer. I do it before I buy a gun. I do it before I vote. It is a good habit to get into.
I have read or browsed through a dozen books dealing with diabetes. The first couple were a new world and interesting in all chapters. The more I read the more repetition I came across. That is natural and skipping sections is a part of mature reading. I also noticed that there were some very different opinions, diagnosis, prognosis and treatments. What I am focusing on today is that all of those differences are based on the same sets of facts. What I found interesting was the similarity between schools of diabetes treatment and schools of theology.
Let me give you an example. In talking with my doctor when I was in denial I used the term “pre-diabetic.” He reamed me out. He said there is no such thing as “pre-diabetic.” You either are or you are not. I read some books that agreed with that. I also read other books that used the term and said that many people who are pre-diabetic will never move on to full diabetes. Then the specialist I am dealing with now said I had been doing so well that I had moved back to being pre-diabetic. Which is it?
Many opinions in matters of health and matters of eternity are based on faith. You look at the same data and come to different conclusions. Sometimes that is because you refuse to look at the data or deliberate ignorance. Sometimes it is a matter of how you put the data together, or honest differences. Whether you are talking about global warming, the King James Bible, salt and blood pressure or the best gun for home defense you are dealing with faith.
Faith is the glue that holds the facts together. Faith is the path that directs how we think. Everyone has a faith. The difference is the target of the faith and the strength of belief. Yes, even math is based on faith. At its core are certain assumptions. Everything builds on that. I am a follower of Jesus Christ because my faith is in Him. My faith is in Him because that is the most logical way to deal with the plethora of competing facts around me. I think of it as a seeing and thinking faith, not a blind faith.
Isn’t it interesting what having diabetes can bring to mind?
homo unius libri
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Comments are welcome. Feel free to agree or disagree but keep it clean, courteous and short. I heard some shorthand on a podcast: TLDR, Too long, didn't read.