The Kidney Pain Of Humiliation

The Kidney Pain Of Humiliation

The Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen. 2 Timothy 4:18

I had lost somewhere between twenty and twenty-five pounds, and I was in the best shape of my life—or so I thought.

Three months earlier, in an attempt to lose weight, I had researched the medical literature and found a high-protein diet that had been successful for many. As an experiment, I thought I would give it a try. I didn’t always have time to eat healthy, and I thought perhaps the diet would help me lose unwanted pounds.

Karen, however, was completely against the idea.

“You’re just being overly protective,” I said.

“Let me remind you, I have a master’s in clinical nutrition,” she countered.

As part of the diet plan, I was supposed to drink large amounts of water. But because I was always on the go and didn’t want to have to stop to go, I forgot about drinking the water.

I didn’t realize until it was too late that water was a crucial part of the diet—to flush out excess protein and other poisons from my system. The day I first realized I had a problem was the day I had a sudden pain in my left flank. Then I noticed blood in my urine. I had a kidney stone!

Though it was a simple diagnosis, the pain was not easy to endure. Within an hour of arriving at work, I found myself in the ER receiving IV fluids and pain medication. Karen met me there, and she didn’t have to say a word. I knew that “I told you so” look.

When the second stone came, I was home alone, and the pain almost did me in. It was so intense that I cried out to God, “Take away the pain, Lord, or take me with you!”

Suddenly, the pain resolved, and I was able to drive myself to the ER. A seven-millimeter stone was passed with lithotripsy later that week, and I quickly recovered.

God did not take me with him that day, but he did take away my pain. And I learned to listen to my wife when it comes to matters of nutrition.

TODAY’S RX

Men, listen to your wives. There’s a reason God created them to help us!

Thank you for the people you’ve put in my life, Lord, who’ve helped me in many ways. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them, and I praise you for designing those friendships.