I have read, over the years, of people saying the following; “I look at diabetes coming into our household as a blessing”. Over the years I have also read of the reasons people stated that diabetes was a ‘blessing’: “I have met such wonderful people”. “We would have been divorced.” “It made us all become healthier.” “We became closer as a family.” “I would be lost without those we met after diagnosis.”
You get the picture.
Now, clearly, those who know me know that I always look for the silver lining in life and I am the first one to say, “find the positive”. But the idea that diabetes is ‘a blessing’ from the almighty one………………….not so easy for me to do.
Strength? Sure. Resolve? Sure. The ability to take something thrown at us and turn it into something we face with a positive attitude? Absolutely.
But the idea of calling my child, and now my children, with diabetes a blessing? Uhm…..ahh……that would have to fall into the “I don’t think so category.
Now before I get beat up on every aspect from people who have a strong faith, in who or whatever you have a strong faith, I say ‘God Bless You”. I am a faithful person in the light that I would think one needs to be faithful. And if you believe deep in your heart and during your quiet times you are thankful for diabetes being in your life, I not only applaud you, I envy you.
I want to be clear, I am not speaking in sarcasm or being flip; I truly admire those that have been able to grasp the belief that diabetes is a blessing in their life. I HAVE GRASPED the strength given to us to carry on and find the positive; THAT is a given.
But to think that what my kids go through day-to-day is anything of a blessing, blasphemous as it may sound, is no blessing in my eyes. But that’s me.
Feel free to add why YOU THINK, or better still……HOW you think that diabetes is a blessing. Please share with us your feelings and I will close the debate on this from the get go. Each person who may feel differently is surely entitled to their opinion and I am not here to open a debate; I’m here to learn the ‘whys and hows’ in the way people think and feel.
So please share your thoughts.
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16 replies on ““Diabetes is a Blessing!”…..uhm….I Could Use Some Help with That!!!!”
I agree with you 100%!
I feel of diabetes as a curse, it’s a “devil” to fight with not a God’s blessing. My mom just told me to think of it and live with it as it is our daily “cross to carry”, it’s a gift to God we need to offer as parents. It’s too deep for me but kind of comforting to think of diabetes this way. I’m in a stage of rebelling/admitting and accepting that my child will have to live with it. It’s not easy to be religious at this point.
Your honesty went right to my heart—-thank you so much for stating exactly how you feel and your candor not mixing words. It is greatly appreciated, truly.
A blessing? Sorry. I’m a practicing person of faith and I cannot think that way at all. Do I thank the higher power that I am able to face each day and so does my child with knowledge and strength? You betcha. Am I grateful that I am fortunate to be able to have the means to afford and provide the tools for his care? Yup. Has it slowed us down to stop and smell the roses instead of rushing through each moment in search of something materialistic…Okay, I admit it. But would I trade that “blessing” for a day when he does to have to be burdened? In a heartbeat. People use coping mechanisms in different ways to deal with life’s challenges. If thinking T1D a “blessing” helps them face the day, who am I to say don’t think that way. I just will never share that philosophy though.
Your points are well stated and I do not disagree….thanks for sharing your thoughts.
It is not always easy to see it as a blessing. However, I was once told that we give Satan too much credit and make it too easy for him when we see things as a curse. I refuse to let Satan win this one. I know that “all things work together for good to those who love God…” Right now, I think my 16 year old son is still angry at God for diabetes, but some day, somehow, we will be able to use it to bring glory to God. I also realize that there are many things that we could have that are worse than diabetes. So, I TRY to be thankful that our cross is diabetes and while its not easy, it is something that God gives us the strength to handle. I always enjoy your posts, DDad!
Thank you for your words. You put it in such a manner that makes complete sense and your faith is truly evident. Thanks for sharing.
A blessing? I lost my faith after my son was diagnosed.
….and surely you are not alone in that regard. Thanks for your honesty.
The blessing is in the fact that we have progressed to the point of being able to better manage this not-so-blessed event (?… THING??) in our child’s (as well as our) lives. The blessing is in the fact that we are able to find comfort in sharing our ups and downs with others who understand how difficult it can be to deal with this disease 24/7. But, is the disease, itself, a blessing? Oh, HELL NO. We fight this thing every moment of every day. As I sit here, typing, my son has a bg of 495. HE gets scared when his blood sugar gets this high. He won’t eat lunch for fear it’ll go higher (and we all know it WILL). Nothing that causes my son to respond like that is a blessing. Nothing. The blessing will, ultimately, be in the cure. The biggest blessing will be in preventing this from happening to any child (or adult) ever again.
Duly noted. Thank your for your comments…..I chuckled at the ‘hell no.” May your (our) dreams one day be all realized.
Personally, diabetes is neither a blessing not a curse from the gods above. In order to better describe how I feel about it, I’ll share a conversation I had with my oldest son (non-D).
He confessed that he was beginning to feel as if there was no god; no higher power. Among the reasons he gave me for feeling this way was “Why would god give my little brother diabetes?” Though it shattered my heart that he carried this burden, I replied, ” God did not give your brother diabetes. Diabetes just happened. God gave us doctors to save his life. He gave knowledge and talent to those who discovered insulin could be injected, and to create blood glucose meters, and insulin pumps, and the myriad of other modern technologies that make management possible.”
I do not view diabetes as a blessing, but I blessed to be part of a support system that gets me through the darkest of days.
I think we all have had conversations similar to what you described…….
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
I wouldn’t say it’s a blessing. Diabetes is certainly no picnic. I have one child with diabetes and one with epilepsy. I think that helps each of them cope. I prefer to think God throws at us as much as he thinks we can take. I’m flattered he thinks we can take this on. And we will. Courage. xxx
Thanks for adding your thoughts.
I would not call diabetes a blessing or a curse. I call it a fact of life. In the beginning, I did the “why my child?”, and “why didn’t I see it before now?” and all the other questions that we all ask at that time. As time has marched on, the why’s take on less and less importance. They daily living and the balancing act take precedence. Does my daughter call it a blessing? Probably not. An inconvenience? Yes. A pain (sometimes literally)? Absolutely. Again, it is something that she just “deals with.” My daughter has always been strong willed and very stubborn. That is how she deals with her diabetes. She doesn’t ALLOW it to interfere in her life or what she wants to do. Does she (and I) look forward to a day when there is a day when she doesn’t have to deal with all of the inconvenience? You bet. My child WITH diabetes is just as much a blessing to me as my child WITHOUT diabetes is. I have always told my daughter that diabetes is just a part of who she is, is does NOT define who she is. Her name is Carol and she has diabetes. Her name is NOT diabetes nor does diabetes have Carol. Everyone has challenges to overcome. I am short—reaching anything that is higher than my 4’11 frame is challenging. My niece has cerebral palsy. She has overcome MANY challenges and has gone on to move away from home to go to college and earn a degree in intercultural studies.
So again I say–diabetes a blessing? A mixed one to be sure. There are days when I would trade it all in a heartbeat to be sure. But when I see my daughter achieving her goals and living life on HER times, it matters not to me whether or not she has diabetes. I am so proud of her and the woman that she has become and her diabetes had NOTHING to do with that! It is her hard work and determination that made those things happen!!