Isnt the human body just the most amazing thing? We know so much about how it works and how it is put together from the first division of cells. We understand about the systems which keep us alive and the diseases which can kill us. We know how to cure thousands of sicknesses and transplant organs from one person into another. And still there is more to discover about how we work and why. So often we take our bodies for granted - especially when we are young. They work so we dont give them a second thought. But as we get older most of us start to consider our physical frame as it starts to creak and groan, leak and falter,shake and break.
Did you know that the Jews have a prayer for going to the toilet?
They thank God for their bowels and bladder and kidneys - that everything is in working order and pray that it might continue to work all the days of their life. Or something along those lines. Awesome. When was the last time you prayed for your internal workings? Thanked God for your liver and spleen? Blessed your pancreas and asked God for strength for your heart and lungs.? We should do it all the time, every day. We are fearfully and wonderfully made and only sustained by His decision to keep us alive.
Yesterday I went to visit my best mate Gladys. She is 91 and barely any part of her functions well. Her hands have seized up , she is pretty much completely deaf, she manages to stand only with the help of a rise and recline chair and someone holding onto her and she walks slowly a few paces from her room to the dining room with a walking aid. For someone who used to be a championship tennis player in her youth and has had a constantly active life it must be frustrating to be dependent on other people for every last thing. I know she has struggled to let go of her independence as her body has aged. And then again I was watching a 92 year old on the television yesterday who still lives on her own, does all her own shopping and chores and seems to be as fit as a sixty year old. And thats the thing isnt it? You just dont know how your own particular body is going to hold out as you get older
We all seem to be living longer these days. We are bombarded by messages about ' maintaining a healthy lifestyle'. We know we need to exercise more and eat less saturated fat and not smoke. But perhaps we also need to thank God for all the parts of us that work so miraculously together all the time without us ever having to think about it. Maybe the more thankful we are the more healthy we will be? if our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit perhaps we need to be taking better care of the temple and not taking it for granted so much,
And one more thing. When God tells us in the Bible to do or not to do various things with our bodies, He does so for a reason. So for example men of african or asian descent who are circumcised are 60% less likely to get prostate cancer. Which is why God tells His people to be circumcised. Its not just a sign of belonging. It's GOOD for you !! As is having a day of rest. As is fasting. All those things which we might think of as being a bit odd or old fashioned or unnecessary - well God knows better. So if He highlights something which you should or should not be doing to or with your body you had better pay attention.
And if you want to live a long and healthy life then honour your father and mother.
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