Beautiful Bodies

Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes
And eyes, and ears, and mouth, and nose. 
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes

We have had a lot of rain this past summer in Minnesota; some of our storms averaged 3-4 inches per storm. This past week parts of the State of Minnesota were flooded under 14 inch rainstorms. Friends of mine who are pastors have sent emails to me with photos showing the destruction caused by flooding during the monsoon season in their country of India.

With all of this water in the world, it is sometimes hard to appreciate the value of it. But experts say that water is of major importance to all living things; in some organisms, up to 90 percent of their body weight comes from water. Up to 60 percent of the human body is water, the brain is composed of 70 percent water, blood is 82 percent water, and the lungs are nearly 90 percent water.

But we humans are much more than just water; we are created in the image and likeness of God, living in beautiful bodies that are very complex “machinery” that we can easily take for granted; that is until our beautiful bodies have problems.

I needed to stop lifting weights (this year from Spring until this November) so that a very old injury to one of my shoulders could finally heal. As a person who likes to work out and stay in shape, the potential for whining is there when I need to not exercise and let my body rest. It’s easy to complain when things don’t work right; especially when we no longer have some parts that function as we wished that they would. To guard against “pouting”, I instead have come to appreciate what does work in my body and what I am able use it for.

Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes
And eyes, and ears, and mouth, and nose.
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes

I’m not talking about just the big things, but the little things as well. Perhaps some of this week’s reflections come from having friends whose bodies don’t work as well as they would like them to. We can easily take our beautiful bodies for granted when they are working properly.; after all they are "only water".

What about our five senses: Hearing, seeing, touching, smelling, tasting. Have you thanked God today that you can taste, touch, see, hear, and smell?

What about our major organs: skin, liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, brain, bladder, intestines, reproductive, gall bladder, and pancreas. All things that we can easily take for granted when they are working properly. Have you thanked God today for your major organs?

What about our major systems; again, we can easily take them for granted when they are working properly: Organ, Skeletal, Muscular, Circulatory, Nervous, Respiratory, Digestive, Excretory, Endocrine, Lymphatic/Immune, Reproductive, Dermis, and Epidermis. Have you thanked God today for your major systems?

What about our heads, shoulders, knees, and toes and eyes and ears and mouth and nose? Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.

I have several friends who are in wheelchairs for multiple reasons; some due to accidents caused by other people, as well as some who were born with parts of their bodies that don’t allow them to be as mobile as they would love to be.

I have several friends whose bodies in which simple things like a bladder or bowels (or short-term memory) no longer work and they are dependent on man-made systems to do what you and I do every day without even thinking about it. Seriously, we need to thank God that our systems work each and every time that we use the bathroom.

I have several friends who have fought and beaten cancer in their own lives (minus a few parts of their bodies) and the lives of their children and still continue to keep going forward; praising God for each step of the way.

I have a friend who was recently rejoicing that he; after MULTIPLE surgeries, is finally able to once again talk and breathe at the same time (following an accident caused by an inattentive driver). I watch as he constantly shifts to fit a “comfortable” place in his wheelchair where his shattered body won’t hurt. I listen to his and his wife’s words of thanksgiving to the Lord for what he does have.

I have another friend who after a long battle with an illness went on the longest walk he's taken; to the park and back. This friend was always a very active man who loved to work with his hands, fish, canoe, hike in the mountains; generally to be outdoors. This past week he was finally able to swallow again after months of not being able to even eat food “normally”. His youngest daughter writes;

“GREAT NEWS! Dad took his swallow test this afternoon and ready... HE PASSED! This is very exciting and a great step in the right direction. He is cleared to eat pureed foods, liquids, soft foods, smoothies, and things like that. WHOA! We're excited!!! He will continue on the feeding tube until he meets with his nutritionist to make sure he is still gaining weight and receiving the right nutrients each day. More to come on that; I am just really excited about this news and wanted to pass it on to you for today. Thanks for praying. God is good! Wow!”

I watch these friends of mine, and I listen to them; both in conversation and how they pray and worship God. I have been moved to tears as I watch them use what they have; all of their strength to say; “Thank you Father for giving me life today!” I have moved to my knees as I watch them worship God with their hands, fingers, knees, toes, eyes, ears and mouths (and nose?).

God has made us complex and beautiful and we need to be grateful for whatever shape or condition that we find ourselves in today. Let’s make a commitment to thank God moment by moment whenever we realize what DOES work in our bodies.

Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes

And eyes, and ears, and mouth, and nose.

Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes

Psalm 139:14 "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well."

Genesis 1:27 "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."