The Blessings Of Choosing Life

The Blessings Of Choosing Life

Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! Deuteronomy 30:19

Danny was a child when his mom first brought him to see me. It was shortly after his dad had passed away of acute myocardial infarction. Danny had been a patient of mine ever since.

“So, tell me what’s going on,” I said.

“Healthwise, I think I’m fine now, but I’m here to discuss my future,” he said. “Every man in my family has died of heart disease in his forties. I’m only thirty, but I want to be here for my kids—and, God willing, for my grandkids. My family history shows that some choices will lead to an early grave. I’m hoping to find other choices that will lead to a long life.”

Danny’s family was genetically predisposed to cholesterol buildup in the arteries. So the first thing we did was some blood work to check Danny’s levels. The lab work showed his total cholesterol at 300 with an LDL of 225. That put him at risk.

“If you’re serious about avoiding a premature death,” I said, “there are some changes you need to start now and stick with for the rest of your life. And it won’t be easy.”

“I’m all in,” Danny said.

We started him on a very strict diet with lots of fruits and leafy vegetables and no processed foods. He also began an exercise program that included jogging for forty-five minutes, three or four times a week. Danny was also a perfect candidate for a new class of cholesterol drugs that had just been released. He agreed to do it all.

Today’s verse seems to imply that blessing will follow when we choose life. One of those blessings is living to see our descendants. Danny is a great example of someone who made good choices and reaped the benefits. Twenty years after that initial appointment, he had lost more than one hundred pounds and kept it off. By sticking with the program, he outlived every other male in his family. Part of his reward was being able to hold his first grandchild.

TODAY’S RX

Choose one daily discipline that will enhance your physical life. Then choose a daily discipline to enhance your spiritual life, as well.

May my choices today bring life to myself and to those around me, Lord. Steer me in the right direction so that all that I say and do is pleasing to you.