This week I gave a devotional to our entire staff. The talk was titled Lessons I Have Learned Through Pain. I used the Acronym TRUST since I have had to trust God with all my heart during this time.

This is an excerpt from it.

S low down

None of us are immune to living life in the fast lane. At one point or another we will all pay the price for pushing our bodies beyond the limits they were meant to go and the stress this lifestyle causes will take its toll.

Every book I’ve read and every doctor I’ve talked to about healing cancer naturally is looking for what caused the cancer in the first place. They believe if you find the cause you will have found the cure. Over and over again I am hearing that cancer is an immune system disease and that everyone in their lifetime has 1-6 cancer cells in their body. A healthy and efficient immune system will destroy those cancer cells. A recent statistic I read said 1 in 3 Americans will get some form of cancer in their lifetime. Breast cancer for women right now is 1 in 8. I was only one of 178,000 women who was diagnosed in 2007. Every 3 minutes of today a women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Every 7 minutes someone will die from it.

Despite all our research and technology cancer is a disease that is beginning to take over our nation. I am convinced the choices we make play a critical role in all disease prevention.

Our immune systems are weakened by a lifetime of poor eating habits, by continual stress, lack of rest and sleep, toxic metals we have in our mouths, and from the pollution we breathe in the air and from chemicals we use in our homes to clean with.

Stress is one of the greatest underlying causes of most diseases we have today. All the books I’ve read on healing say that in order to heal, you must eliminate every stress possible. I took that to heart. I let go of many of my perfectionist tendencies, I stepped down from putting together the advisory materials, I scaled back on my Teen Korps responsibilities and I resigned from full time coaching. These were all painful choices but necessary ones.

All of these were good things to do but too much of a good thing is not always a good thing. I learned to say the 2 letter word most of us have a hard time uttering-NO. This one word is probably the best preventative medicine I know.

No one can put margins in your life but you. No one will give you what you refuse to take on. If you are feeling overwhelmed and overloaded you are going to have to figure out how to get out from under the load you have taken on. I used to think, “But who else will do this?” This really showed a lack of faith on my part. If you are serious about slowing down, God will help you. Don’t wait until you have a life threatening disease until you give yourself permission to rest. Dr. Swenson reminded us that God is a pro-rest God. (He was our speaker for Spriritual Emphasis Week. I highly recommend his book The Overload Syndrome).

T Training

I have spent a lifetime either training myself or training other athletes. The foundation of training is Exercise. Most of us are so busy that we don’t take the time to exercise on a regular basis. There are dozens of benefits to regular exercise a few of which are a general feeling of well being, increased energy and a stronger immune system. If you are too busy to exercise you are too busy. Every day I walk at least 30 minutes or ride my exercise bike. When I walk it gives me time to clear my mind and recharge my batteries.

Sleep and Rest are other key components. Every adult needs at least 8 hours of sleep a night. I used to go to bed around 10:00 or later. I was always trying to finish my to do list. I’ve come to realize it will never get done and I have to be O.K. with that. Since being diagnosed I have faithfully protected my 8:30 bedtime. I leave things undone that I never would have before. I don’t wake up exhausted and I am able to meet with God each morning for prayer and quiet time. I don’t drag through my day anymore and I don’t need a caffeine pick me up in the morning just to get started. I’m also trying to practice a true Sabbath day of rest once a week where I don’t work or think about my work.

We have all heard the saying “You are what you eat.” I have the orange palms to prove it. I ate pretty well (or so I thought) before I was diagnosed with cancer. I like vegetables, fruit and whole grain bread. I had studied nutrition for 25 years and I tried to apply what I was learning but old habits die hard.

I might have buried myself with my fork and spoon if I had continued down the path I was on. I think most of us are going to. We are too busy to take care of ourselves or give thought to healthy eating. We are overloading our bodies with refined sugar, white flour and junk food. If I could give you 2 pieces of advice from what I’ve learned it would be to get off refined sugar and white flour. Do it for one day, one week, one month and see what happens to your energy level. Money back guarantee you will feel like a new person. Don’t wait until you are diagnosed with cancer or another serious disease before you make changes in your life. Train as if your life depended on it. You never know when it will.