I read once that one of John Paul II's favorite scripture verses was John 8:32: "The truth shall make you free." He wrote an entire encyclical (a long teaching letter) on the relationship between truth and freedom in the context of moral law titled Veritatis Splendor ("The Splendor of Truth). I'll be perfectly honest here and admit that I haven't read the entire encyclical, so I won't comment on what Blessed John Paul had to say. But I do know that there is an essential relationship between truth and diabetic self-care. In my experience, this relationship has three dimensions: breaking denial, developing a firm allegiance to reality, and arming yourself with knowledge.
My brother Vincent first taught me the expression "breaking denial." He teaches health and fitness in a Chicagoland high school, and he uses the term to explain to students how it is sometimes necessary to give up our illusions about an aspect of our life: refusing to accept our limitations, not admitting the need for help, being unable to face our addictions, etc. Sometimes we diabetics can be in denial about our condition, thinking that it's not that serious, or that our blood sugar is better than it really is. But that kind of thinking just makes us slaves to our illusions. By honestly facing the truth of our condition, we can become proactive in our self-care and thereby ensure our future freedom from unwanted consequences like neuropathy and heart disease.
It follows that once we break denial, we have to establish a firm allegiance to reality. We have to develop the courage to examine our diet, our exercise (or lack of it!), the effect of our emotions on our eating habits, etc. For a long period recently I was not testing my blood sugar in the morning---I just didn't want to know how bad it was. A recent blood test mandated by my doctor for another health issue revealed that my A-1-C was high and that my lack of discipline may be starting to affect my kidneys. So now, no matter how painful it may be, I'm testing at least twice a day.
If we develop a firm allegiance to reality, we'll find that the third step, arming oneself with knowledge, will come much easier. If you know the truth about your weight, blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, etc., you'll have to tools you need to establish a comprehensive plan for your diabetic self-care, what I refer to as "The Regime" (more on this term in my next blog). A firm allegiance to reality will compel us to read current literature about diabetes, search for diabetic-friendly recipes and create a meal plan, and amass the knowledge necessary to make wise choices about our lifestyle.
Believe me, I'm not suggesting that these steps are easy. I struggle with denial every day ("One more doughnut won't hurt") and sometimes get tired of reading about diabetes in the health section of just about every magazine I pick up. But accepting the truth about my diabetic condition is just part of my ongoing task of discovering who I am: facing other, greater truths about myself, exploring the depths of of my vocation, of who God is calling me to be, so that I can be free to be the real Dominic. Ultimately, these are steps leading toward a more intimate knowledge of Him who is the Truth, who is the Way to wholeness, who is the source of abundant Life.
"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."
2 Corinthians 3:17
Next post: "The Regime"
My brother Vincent first taught me the expression "breaking denial." He teaches health and fitness in a Chicagoland high school, and he uses the term to explain to students how it is sometimes necessary to give up our illusions about an aspect of our life: refusing to accept our limitations, not admitting the need for help, being unable to face our addictions, etc. Sometimes we diabetics can be in denial about our condition, thinking that it's not that serious, or that our blood sugar is better than it really is. But that kind of thinking just makes us slaves to our illusions. By honestly facing the truth of our condition, we can become proactive in our self-care and thereby ensure our future freedom from unwanted consequences like neuropathy and heart disease.
It follows that once we break denial, we have to establish a firm allegiance to reality. We have to develop the courage to examine our diet, our exercise (or lack of it!), the effect of our emotions on our eating habits, etc. For a long period recently I was not testing my blood sugar in the morning---I just didn't want to know how bad it was. A recent blood test mandated by my doctor for another health issue revealed that my A-1-C was high and that my lack of discipline may be starting to affect my kidneys. So now, no matter how painful it may be, I'm testing at least twice a day.
If we develop a firm allegiance to reality, we'll find that the third step, arming oneself with knowledge, will come much easier. If you know the truth about your weight, blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, etc., you'll have to tools you need to establish a comprehensive plan for your diabetic self-care, what I refer to as "The Regime" (more on this term in my next blog). A firm allegiance to reality will compel us to read current literature about diabetes, search for diabetic-friendly recipes and create a meal plan, and amass the knowledge necessary to make wise choices about our lifestyle.
Believe me, I'm not suggesting that these steps are easy. I struggle with denial every day ("One more doughnut won't hurt") and sometimes get tired of reading about diabetes in the health section of just about every magazine I pick up. But accepting the truth about my diabetic condition is just part of my ongoing task of discovering who I am: facing other, greater truths about myself, exploring the depths of of my vocation, of who God is calling me to be, so that I can be free to be the real Dominic. Ultimately, these are steps leading toward a more intimate knowledge of Him who is the Truth, who is the Way to wholeness, who is the source of abundant Life.
"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."
2 Corinthians 3:17
Next post: "The Regime"