A Trial by Sugar

A guest-post testimony

“And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” ~ Galatians 5:24

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It's hard to believe it's been a year since I made the new year's resolution to consume less sugar. To say it was a trial is an understatement, for God truly tested me and not only that, but the consequences of my actions leading up to April 24th, 2024 were a glimpse into the reality of my dietary lifestyle up to that year.

I have chosen to write this testimony for Joy Amidst Trials, because not only was this a trial, but the Lord has moved through this on-going test to bring me greater purpose in Him than I have had before. My joy comes from Him, and this trial is a testament to His hand in my life.

Taking Care of this Temple:

Growing up, we are told to eat our vegetables and finish our dinner before we can have dessert. However, the culture is so enveloped by the consumption of sugar that parents rarely ever explain to their children the consequences behind their eating habits.

No, instead, we make a spectacle of watching and enjoying infant reactions to the first time they consume sugar. It's cute, funny, and gets a lot of likes! But behind that facade of entertainment and amusement comes addiction, obesity, diabetes, and a lot of mental problems that have resulted in the culture we have today.

Now, I'm not saying that sugar is bad to consume, but I want to provide you a glimpse into my thought process when I wrote down, “I want to consume less sweets.”

For me, I could eat an entire box of double stuffed oreos dipped in chocolate milk and still go on craving a melted chocolate chip cookie with ice cream lathered atop of it. In fact, that was a routine of mine.

My cravings for sugar spiraled out of control and I knew that one day I needed to discipline myself before I were to be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes (T2D). My own father, who prides himself on his health and fitness regimen, was diagnosed pre-diabetic just a few years prior. Plus, all my grandparents have had T2D for decades, my grandmother on my mother's side had her leg amputated and passed away from a heart attack, diabetes related, and my grandfather on my father's side had a multitude of health problems related to his diabetes before he passed. This is all to say, I was headed toward this and I knew I needed to change or else. I needed to take care of the temple the Lord entrusted me with, for His Spirit to dwell within. At least, that's how I saw it when writing that goal.

Growing Up with Sugar:

From my adolescence, to my teenage years, I ate a lot of sugar. So much so that when I have kids, I hope to not introduce them to candy or things of that nature, and just show them the keto sweets that I eat.

The thing was, I never had a chubby phase in life. I've always been mostly skin and bone, and I was called a twig in middle school. It was a point of challenge as I wanted to gain weight and ate in such a way that I should be obese, but apparently my metabolism was so good that it would burn away a dozen glazed donuts from Krispy Kreme.

I've even devoured three whole Cinnabons in a single sitting. Barely struck a bulge of fat in me. Thing was, anytime I would get a physical from the doctor, they told me I was healthy, just a little underweight for my height.

No one suspected a thing. At least, that was until around 2021 when I started getting symptoms of hyperglycemia. Things like drinking a lot of water and constantly urinating, even throughout the night. I didn’t know what it was at the time, and because of a lack of care for my body and always being told that I was healthy, I never went to the hospital. In fact, I lost so much faith in doctors after COVID that I didn't trust going to a doctor. My trust was in my body's immune system because prior to that I hadn’t been sick for eight years. Never a real reason to go to the doctor.

With this trial, however, I see hospitals and doctors like churches and pastors; consisting of fallen people who are trying to help others get better in this broken world of ours. My faith now is in Christ Jesus, and He is the one that will deliver us from our ailments using the hands of His creation here on earth.

Leading Up to April 24th:

After I wrote that I wanted to consume less sweets, I didn't stop. In fact, as flesh crept in and the enemy used that to their advantage, my cravings became worse.

For the first three months of 2024, I had two full jugs of lemonade, one carton of chocolate milk, and three pints of ice cream a week. This was on top of any time we'd go out for extra sweets when celebrating birthdays, going on dates, anything that added. I was not crucifying my flesh, I was gorging on sugar. All this time, the Holy Spirit would gently nudge me asking, “When are you going to commit to your goal? When are you going to take care of My temple?”

I would just put it off and say, “I'll start next week.” Then the next week came and the conviction would come again and again.

Suffering Ketoacidosis:

At the start of April 2024, I had started the onboarding process to be an Amazon driver. On the second shift I worked by myself. The first half was fine, and then I went on my break. I had a Subway sandwich that I didn't finish because it seemed like the chicken wasn't cooked all the way through.

Then a couple hours into the evening shift, my stomach began aching profusely. I was freaking out because it was my second day at this new job that's strict on stopping the sprinter van, but I really needed to go to the restroom. When I did, I had to park at a 10 minute parking spot where the van could barely fit. I rushed to find a restroom, and when I did I prayed for the Lord to deliver me from the pain I was in.

There was a little relief, but as soon as I got back out on deliveries the pain returned. It grew subtly and when I finished I rushed home as fast as possible. The moment I got home I went to the restroom and sat on the toilet. Then I felt nauseated and threw up.

Over the course of three days, I threw up everything I ate. For someone who is underweight, this wasn't good. I would sleep for fifteen hours a day, unable to stand without feeling light-headed and fatigued. After three days, I began feeling a little better. Then, the next Wednesday, six days later, I went to make myself breakfast. I looked at the sink and immediately threw up again. It was at that moment I knew something was terribly wrong.

My brother took me to the hospital and I struggled to get to the E.R. Once there they ran multiple tests on me after waiting for around 30 minutes in the E.R. I finally got to lay down and relax after they put an I.V. in my arm.

Suddenly, a doctor rushed over and she yelled, “Stop, don't give him anymore of that!”

She immediately came up to me and said, “You have diabetes, we need to admit you to the ICU.”

Hearing that made my heart sink, and my first thought was, “Why Lord? I thought I had more time.”

Leaning into the Prince of Peace:

When looking back on my time in the ICU, I can only describe it as a hospital TV show drama. The nurses all had different personalities that likened it to that of those types of shows.

I had one nurse who was super charismatic, with him flirting with the other nurses by doing a backflip in the ICU. However, he did his job well and tended to me efficiently. Then there was another nurse who was the drama expert, talking to every patient about their issues while also gossiping about the issues with insurance fraud cases going on.

All my fiance, at the time (now married), and I could do was listen and laugh at just how crazy the hospital life is. And I was there for three nights! My Pastor and church brothers and sisters came to visit, and he anointed me with oil. We prayed and it was then that I knew God was doing a work for me.

The question was, “How was I going to view this deeply troubling news that I had diabetes?” And not to mention, the doctors were figuring out that it was most likely Type 1 diabetes, not Type 2!

For those who don't know what the difference between the types are; type 1 is when your pancreas completely shuts down and doesn't produce insulin to break down glucose in your blood. This is most commonly diagnosed in children, vs T2D being found in older adults with poor eating habits. T2D you can reverse, T1D you currently cannot reverse.

Apparently, I could have always had T1D, which means I would have been born with it and not realized which is why I've never been able to gain weight. My doctor explained that my metabolism has been acting as my pancreas, breaking down my muscle mass in order to actually break down my glucose, and now my body has finally caught up and just can't do it anymore. So I now take insulin every day.

But back to the question, “How was I going to view this new disability in my life that could most likely end up resulting in my death if I don't take it seriously?”

At this point, it was a week away from my 27th birthday, and a little over a month away from my born-again 1st birthday. The trials had added up in just 1 year of following Christ and now this seemed like it was another trial to top it off from God.

Afterall, God made me how I am. He knitted me in my mother's womb. I am the only known person in my family to have Type 1 diabetes, which seems to be passed down genetically. I am now one of the oldest people to be diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. How am I to react to this? Did God give me this test because He knew I could handle it?

I mean, I did ask to eat less sweets but didn't really commit. Thus God picked me up and placed me onto the narrow path called hypo and hyperglycemia. My response to Him was and has been, “Thank You, Lord, for entrusting me with this. You've blessed me with protection all this time, and now that I am here, I can be truly used as an example for Your Kingdom.”

It has still been a challenge, but I leaned into Him and He has held me ever since. In fact, it was in the hospital where He revealed to me His vision for my life. Showing me how I look in my own eyes contrasted with how He views me in His eyes. And let me tell you, if you ever have a prayer to ask Him, ask Him to show you this, because it is like night and day!

Every doctor that came to me, every nurse that came to me, they all were somber in their detailing of all the complications that will arise in diabetes. But I was not going to let that drop the smile from my face because I had the Lord with me, and He provided so much comfort.

Now, I live day to day, with this potential for death that is ever-present. We all technically do, just mine alerts me when I'm getting close and need to either eat sugar or jab myself with a needle.

However, I just know that without this blessing in my life, I probably wouldn't have changed course the way I have. Also, if I had Type 2, I probably wouldn't take it as seriously because I would technically now be considered pre-diabetic, and the idea of reversing something that I feel God placed in my life for a reason, it will have to be God healing my pancreas for me to be fine with reversing it. Besides, I don't need to be healed to believe that He is real. I know He's got me right where He wants me.

All of this is to say, trials will come in ways that will kill you. But if you come out of it and learn unfortunate truths, how will you respond?

Try leaning on God for His plan and vision for your life. Because that is where you may find the greatest joy amidst your trial!

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