Are you a stairs or elevator person? 

I continue to battle this insidious disease called Type-2 Diabetes, struggling to reign in my desire for food that is counter to what my body needs and likes.  My mind likes so many foods and sweets that my body rejects.  Ah, the battle rages!  One key element for me in keeping my A1C in check is exercise and activity.  I had a great mentor who lived a life of example.  Never bragging or worrying about the visual results, just the internal health benefits.

In 1982 my father was having some issues with numbness on the left side of his body, that the doctors finally diagnosed as a calcium deposit on his brain.  He was told that its location made it inoperable (at the time) and that too rigorous of activity could cause it to dislodge, likely resulting in an aneurysm that would kill him.  Our family faced the very real possibility of a future without our father and my mother’s husband.  

Over the course of the next 41 years, dad had 6-8 more minor strokes that resulted in the loss of nearly all use of his left side.  Yet, he was alive, still living alone, dressing himself, driving himself, going to church every Sunday and exercising in some form every day.  He did this up until his new life in Heaven, 41 years after being told to minimize rigorous activity.  He turned his need for exercise into a ministry of handing out Bibles to those people at Kroger in Centerville, Ohio, who treated him so sweetly.  He introduced many of those sweet people to Jesus.  What some saw as a broken down, old man, God used as his vessel of hope.

My family doctor diagnosed my diabetes 18 years ago.  A family legacy that I would be more than happy to stop with me.  Through the years my Dr. has asked me about my levels of activity.  He commented one day that “there are stairs people and elevator people,” which I found very intriguing.  When I asked what he meant, he said there are people who just want to get to their destination and miss the benefits of the journey.  Stairs work the heart, which works the cardiovascular, which challenges the mind, causing an appreciation for the journey and a gift to the body.  He said there is a direct correlation between the ignoring of the stairs and the mounting health issues one experiences.

I surrendered my life to Christ 20 years ago.  I gave my life to Jesus when I was a 6 year old boy as best as I knew how, but real surrender did not happen until much later.  I remember calling a beloved sister and telling her this great news of total surrender and being greeted with her response, “we’ll see.”  I was discouraged, disappointed and drawn to the idea of just shutting down this latest ‘move’ in my life.  But this time was different.  The choice had been made, my life was no longer mine alone and I chose the path of allowing my life to be a witness of God’s amazing grace and mercy.  

I chose the stairs.  I chose to take a daily step of faith.  Doing my best to reflect the amazing and transformative love of my Father in Heaven.  Failing more than succeeding, but trusting and climbing every day. 

God has a perfect plan for you.  He knows the stairs require effort and wants you to know the incredible joy and reward of the journey of life with him.  The easy road is normally the widest, the most appealing to our sinful nature and the least rewarding.

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”  Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV)

My dad lived a life of tenacity, battling against the health issues ravaging his body.  He was the embodiment of a man fighting the good fight.  His example, not words, illustrated to me and to many others what a life of commitment and value looks like.  He illustrated the value of running a good race.  Take the steps, the journey is the reward.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race,I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”  2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NIV)

Little to nothing worthwhile comes without a price.  

You’ve got this.