Anatomic Perfection

Psalm 139:13-14 (CEV)- “You are the one who put me together inside my mother’s body, and I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me. Everything you do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt.”

I work part-time at a local college where I teach Human Anatomy and Physiology. It is a series of courses that instruct about the development, composition, arrangement, functionality and pathology of the human body.  Although it is a public institution steeped in secular tradition, from the very first moment I introduce myself to my students, I constantly remind them that as an experienced scientist I fully vow that we are not made from some chance lightening strike hitting a primordial soup of proteins and algae; nor did we result from the emergence or evolution of primitive primates.  We are wonderfully and fearfully made in the awesome image of our God.  While God is spirit and does not have a physical form his essence is expressed in the wonder of the head, truck and limbs that make up the human frame. 

Everything that God does is wonderful and his creation of us, collectively as a species and individually as characters with our own personalities, is without a doubt marvelous. We must not only take care of our bodies, protect their frailties, cherish their workings but we must honor their differences.  We are all made from the DNA models passed down from generation to generation and these blueprints give directions for how we shall be ‘knit’ or pieced together in our mother’s wombs.  The grandeur of it all is that God orchestrated everything about us before we were even a spark in our father’s eyes or a smile on our mother’s faces.  Before he threw the stars into the sky or whirled the nebulae to form the galaxies he envisioned the dimple on your cheek and the little crock of your tooth. 

God loves us so much; let’s love ourselves and honor our bodies. We must be diligent to not destroy them with cigarettes, excessive alcohol, abusive sexual behavior, inadequate sleep, overwork or overindulgent eating.  We are anatomic perfection; give God praise by taking care of the gift he has given to us in the form of our bodies.  Whether white, black, brown, tall, short, thin, thick, scarred, disfigured, amputated or arthritic – give God praise for we are wonderfully and fearfully (awesomely) made.

Every day is a good day; it is up to us to make it a GREAT day.  Have a body conscious weekend.  See you on Monday! Be blessed!  Dr. JoAnn

Thank you for all of the calls, posts, emails, cards and expressions of condolence. Please continue to pray for my aunt, Geraldine Houser, and our entire family this weekend as we travel to lay to rest the body frame of my favorite uncle, Arthur Houser, Sr.