Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

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Last week, our staff team did some First Aid and CPR training.  Before getting into the medical situations and techniques we were to learn that day, we spent some time discussing anatomy and physiology of the human body.  I had the privilege of taking courses on both subjects in university -  but that was 30 years ago.  I haven't been thinking about the body much recently so as we looked at the skeletal, muscular, and circulatory systems, I was so impressed and amazed at how God created us.

This past weekend's Psalm in the Lectionary was Psalm 139.  It fit perfectly with my thinking:

"For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well."
                 Psalm 139:13-14

But do I?  Do you?  Do we know "full well" that Lord's creation of us is wonderful and awe-inspiring?  Do we embrace the incredibleness of what is going on inside of us breath by breath, heartbeat by heartbeat and turn that to praise of God?  Do we take it for granted and only attend to our bodies when they are sick or hurt or breaking down in some way?  While I definitely think we need to pay attention to our bodies when something is wrong, I also think that we can live in our bodies with joy and gratitude anytime.  Our bodies are revelations of God's creativity, power, wisdom, and existence!  They can point us back to the Source and Sustainer of our very beings.

A friend shared in Bible Study this week that she had a word that set the tone for her year last year and the one before.  She is still waiting for her word for 2018.  As I am writing this blog, I think that my word for 2018 is "worship".  I want to continually engage my life and the world around me in a way that draws my attention back to God.  Right now I am thinking about how my physical body can turn my focus to God.  One idea is my breath.  I am always breathing.  I can't live beyond a couple of minutes without doing it.  What if I allow my breath to connect me to my Creator? Then it can be a very accessible reminder and prompt to worship.

Here are some ideas I want to try: 
1) as I take a deep breath, acknowledging that my breath is a gift from God
2) choosing a worshipful phrase that I can repeat as I breath such as "God is so good!" or "Give thanks to the Lord!"  (Memorizing a section of a Psalm and then coordinating saying it with in and out breaths could be helpful.)
3) in moments of stillness or stress, using my in-breath as a prompt to receive again God's gifts of grace, peace, love, and hope (or whatever it is that I need from Him).  As I breath out, I let go of that which I have no control over and entrust myself to Him.  

I am sharing these ideas with the hope that you may also experience your bodies as God's gift and an opportunity to join with the Psalmist in saying, "I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made".

peace and grace in Christ,
Tracy



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