I sat in an ophthalmologist’s chair, waiting for her to stick a needle in my eye. Sounds like fun, right? I had a tear in my macula, so there was bleeding in one of the inner layers of the eye. Most of the vision in my left eye was blurred. The doctor believed it was from a stroke in that eye.
After investigating, I discovered that a stroke in my eye was a possible entry-level sign of a future brain stroke. Scarier. I needed to watch my diet and exercise a little more. I already exercised in the morning and in the afternoon, and I walked a couple of miles each day. I would have to concentrate more on my diet and then leave it up to God. The body falls apart as we age, and we can’t do anything about it in the long term. We can, however, get as much mileage out of it as we can.
God created this world, including our bodies and the way they work (Genesis 1:26). He also limits the length of our lives because of our sinfulness. And because God created all matter, motion, space, and time within the universe—and He sent Jesus to live within this universe just like us—He understands our struggles.
Whether it’s sinning—missing the mark—intentionally or sinning in ignorance, we only have a short time to choose which path to take. We can let God’s Spirit empower us to take the right path, or we can use our power and take our own path. The choice is ours.
Which way will you go? Ask God to help you choose the right paths.
Carl Schleede is a writer.