By Rhonda Stinson
Time to wake up. Four o’clock came too early on February 7th when I woke up to catch a flight to Ft. Myers.
I needed some caffeine, but didn’t want to have to use the restroom too much, so I opted out. Mom and I have been going to Ft. Myers every year for several years. It is so much fun to spend time together.
By the time we got to the condo, we were exhausted, but couldn’t resist going to the beach on our first day.
On day 2, my hands and arms started breaking out with heat hives, and my feet were cut and blistered from the sand that got between my sandal straps and my skin. I break out with heat hives every time I go to Florida. By the end of the week, I was covered from arms to ankles.
Not the best scenario for a week of sun exposure! We both crashed on the couch by 7 pm and woke to the sound of a chicken on TV. We both looked up at each other at the same time and let out the same exact chicken sound. It was hilarious. I was already craving fresh eggs from my hens.
As we were sitting on the beach later in the week, I heard a female voice from behind say something. A young woman and her friend came to my side and one of them said, “I saw the devices on your arms.” As she spoke, she revealed the same devices on her body. She then said, “I just wanted to stop and say, I know your struggle.” It was such a weighty statement that touched my heart.
It is rare to meet another Type 1 diabetic, and even more rare to meet on the beach. This young woman wanted to let me know that I wasn’t alone. She used a term that I will forever use when I meet another diabetic, “diabuddy.” We had something in common and someone familiar with the hour-by-hour, day-by-day, decisions, struggles, and frustrations.
Do you feel like you’re in a struggle that no one could ever understand? It may be a spiritual, physical or mental battle. It’s true, everyone handles things differently, we have different strengths and weaknesses. We all occasionally need help.
No matter how big the problems in your life are, remember, you’re not alone. There are others around the world who have experienced, are experiencing, or will experience the same things that you are going through. Maybe you have gone through difficulty and are in a position to minister to someone’s hurting heart. Sometimes it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when you feel overwhelmed by life’s circumstances.
It’s okay to not be okay. It’s not okay to not be okay and hold it inside. We all need a support system. This system should include people who speak God’s truth to you, those who encourage you along the way, and those who will call you out when they see you falling into sinful patterns. God created us for relationships. If God wanted us to live solo lives, He wouldn’t have created Eve for Adam.
Remember the story in Exodus 17:8-13? “Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.”
Even Moses needed the support of others! Aaron and Hur met Moses’ physical need for strength and they also met his relational need in simply being with him during the battle.
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