Celiacs Has Taught Me I Eat to Live, I Don’t Live to Eat

Many years ago while I was recovering from the effects of hypothyroidism, that left me with lost memory among other issues, a normal response could have been why me. I realized I could have gotten hung up on the whys. Why couldn’t the doctors have found this sooner? Why did I have to leave the school where I was studying for the ministry because of this? etc etc

But the questions I tried to focus on were the whats. Lord, what do you want to show me? What do you want me to do now?

Anytime we struggle with an illness the whys are normal and understandable questions. The problem is that if we focus too much on the whys, they can lead to depression and despair. Those early years after I found out I had hypothyroid and dealt with the effects on my life I focused on the whats. I realize hypothyroid is not a serious illness- IF IT IS CAUGHT EARLY. The problem for me was it wasn’t diagnosed until things had gotten deathly serious.

So I have tried to focus on the what questions with Celiacs too. Last year as I was dealing with pain, skin rashes, and other symptoms my prayer would be Lord what do you want me to do today. As I went from doctor to doctor I would ask Jesus, “What do you want to do through me?” Of course I would ask Jesus-“What is wrong with me?

The blessing of my what questions is they lead me to understanding. The blessing of finding out I have Celiacs is that it has forced me to reexamine what I eat, to be vigilant about what I put into my body.

Before Celiacs I would eat fast food, which is not really food, four or five times a week. Now that I know I have Celiacs, fast food is gone from my life. No longer do I eat at McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Subway etc.

Late night snacking is gone too. Healthier eating habits have replaced the bad habits I had. Now the produce aisle, organic is better, has become my favorite aisle in the supermarket. Part of that is my sense of taste improved dramatically since I became gluten free.

So a lesson Celiacs has taught me is that I eat to live, I don’t live to eat. The benefit? A healthier and smaller me. So call me crazy, I am grateful to have Celiacs.