Pastor's wife: Small things can lead to big changes

There is one other small thing that changed everything: reading my Bible every morning before the day begins.”

Several years ago, I started having chest pains-not terrible, but consistent.  It concerned me but I kept it to myself. 

Just before that, totally unsolicited, my pharmacist friend mentioned that heart disease is a leading cause of death in women over 50.  Yay.  I was over 50.

After a few weeks of chest pain, tingling began in my arm.  Together, they were classic signs of a heart attack.  I could no longer put it off; it was time to do something. 

My beloved rushed me to the ER.  We were both trying not to overthink the situation.  After much testing and a night in the hospital, they found that it was not my heart at all.  I had GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), which is similar to acid reflux. 

I wasn’t having a heart attack and was so thankful!  After digesting the news, I realized I’d had heartburn for over 30 years but never addressed it.  Pepto Bismol became a staple in my life in 1981.

Now, every morning, I take a little pill (Nexium) that keeps me from experiencing all that burning discomfort.  One small thing changed everything.  It’s a habit for me.  A good one.  It enables me to eat many regular foods I had been missing plus no more stomach aches. 

I don’t ever skip taking my medicine either and have only missed twice in the years that have passed. When I did, the old pain quickly returned.

There is one other small thing that changed everything: reading my Bible every morning before the day begins.  Years ago, I tried to read it after my family had gone to bed.  Sitting in the recliner, all alone in the silence…I was asleep within minutes.  Tired from the day, I snoozed as soon as I was still.  I don’t remember anything I read back then.

To be truthful, growing up I only read my Bible so I could mark the box on the Sunday School envelope we filled out each week in class.  If I went to bed without reading, I’d jump up, grab my Bible, open it to some random place and read a verse.  I so wanted to mark that box!

God’s Word is good medicine I need on a daily basis.  For me, it’s best taken first thing.  In the quiet of the morning at the table with my Life Application Study Bible and a big mug of Dunkin Donuts coffee.  I no longer read to mark a box, but to hear the precious voice of my Heavenly Father.  He always has something to say.

Last year, I began writing down the Scriptures I read and make notes about how God speaks to me through them.  (I use the HEAR acronym Robby Gallaty and Chris Swain mention in their book Replicate.)  Sometimes I write many words, some days only a few.  It has been such a big blessing.  Another small thing that changed everything.

The takeaways...If you suffer from the signs of a heart attack, get help immediately.  Don’t put it off!  If you have been diagnosed with GERD or acid reflux, take your medicine on a regular basis.  (It will make you feel so much better.)  Most importantly, if you haven’t already, start a daily regimen of God’s Word.  While one small dose of Nexium each morning changes my day and life, reading the Bible in the a.m. makes an even bigger impact.