Have you ever had this happen to you? You are at church or an event listening to a sermon or a speaker. As the speaker talks, you feel like they are staring right at you and speaking directly into your life. What about while reading a book? You are reading a book, and the words jump off the page with a punch. You feel like the book was written just for you. That is what “The Daniel Plan” by Pastor Rick Warren was for me.
I have read many books about diet, health, and nutrition over the last 20 years. I have been a part of 4 different direct sales businesses in the health and wellness industry. Besides my Bible, I never have, and I mean never, read a book that has made me want to highlight passage after passage in the book.
After the results from my MRI and the diagnosis of fatty liver, I began looking for the best way to lay a strong foundation to get my healthy journey off to a good start. My younger sister read “The Daniel Plan” with her church and recommended it to me. I borrowed the book from her, and as I began reading chapter 2, the words jumped at me. Immediately in the second paragraph, Steve Komanapalli’s wife is quoted saying:
“If you die early, man, I’m going to miss you. But if you die of something that was preventable, I’ll be really disappointed that you didn’t do everything you possibly could to be here for me and for your daughter.”
The Daniel Plan
BAM! I felt punched in the stomach. I instantly heard those words in my husband’s voice.
As I continued reading each page, I wanted to highlight many pieces, and I was only on chapter 2. I reached the last couple pages of chapter 2, and the word Then What? Screamed for me to highlight them.
Rick Warren says ”You know that your willpower must rest on the power of God, but it also grows stronger with a clear mind and self-control.” He continues a little further along with “ So, what if you could learn the two most important words in the English language when it comes to your health: then what.”
The Daniel Plan
Then what?
Think about that for a moment… If I eat that, if I do that exercise, if I skip my morning quiet time when the next MRI scan shows a paraganglioma, then what?
If I don’t do everything I possibly can to take care of myself for my family, then what?
Two simple words with profound impact. I spent the day reflecting on those two words. Talking to God and taking time to listen to what he had to say.
I finished chapter 2 and began to close my book. I glanced at the beginning of chapter 3 as I inserted my bookmark. Chapter 3 is called Faith. The Bible verse is
“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:13