Emphasis Preaching Journal

Thirty-three-year-old Gary Hawkins had always lived in the fast lane. He did his share of drugs, went to every party he could, and had been loose with his love life. That all changed after a visit to his doctor one crisp autumn day. Gary had been diagnosed as HIV-positive. He was not sick yet, but he had the virus lying dormant in his system. Gary's world came crashing down around him. He quit his job, moved back in with his parents, and spent his time watching television and movies and gorging himself on pizza, beer, and ice cream. After all, what was the sense of taking care of himself if he was just going to die of AIDS anyway? Sinking deeper and deeper into depression, Gary got to the point where he rarely even left the house. Finally, Gary's father couldn't take it anymore. He decided that despite his son's illness, there was no reason for him to stop living his life. So Gary's father began leaving lists of things for Gary to do all over the house. Things like shopping and cleaning and running errands were left up to Gary. As an incentive to get back in shape, Gary's father took his son's car keys and bought him a bicycle to serve as transportation. Gradually, Gary began to reenter the world. Soon, he was riding his bicycle everywhere. As he began to feel better mentally and physically, he began jogging and swimming and eating right. By the end of May, Gary was feeling so good, he decided to enter his first triathlon. On a visit to his doctor before the race, Gary Hawkins got some good news. There was almost no trace of HIV left in his system. His doctor cautioned him that he was not cured, but it was amazing that hardly any trace of the virus could be found in his blood. By changing his ways, Gary Hawkins had saved his life.
-- Parlette