Paying attention to our body's messages as part of the meaning of Romans 12:1

Each of us live in a home and we take some pride in this home. We spend money on its upkeep by repainting when we want to change the colors of the rooms or when the paint begins to peel. We maintain the roof and if a shingle is broken or missing a replacement is made even to the point of re-roofing the entire house if required. None of us would ignore a crack in the wall, a loose hinge on any of the doors, a broken or leaking faucet, a missing window pane, etc. We feel that we have made a financial investment in our homes so we take care of that investment by looking after each and every item that requires or demands attention.

Yet, when it comes to our bodies we simply ignore, dismiss or even go so far as to deny the telltale signs that something is wrong. “Oh, it will go away,” we say; or, “The pain isn’t that bad.” or, “I can live with that.” or one hundred and one other rationales. The comment that gets me is, “I told the doctor, but he/she didn’t think it was anything to be concerned about” and yet the pain/symptoms continue … nothing changes … and the house we live in just gets worse.

In Romans 12:1 God shares: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Could it mean that part-and-parcel of this biblical mandate is to present to God a healthy and whole physical body? The Hebrew children understood that God desired sacrifices that were without blemish or flaws and while that is no longer a requirement, thanks to Jesus' gift of love and grace, nevertheless shouldn't it be our desire to present to God a "living sacrifice" that is as healthy as possible?

God has created a fantastic machine with our bodies. Our bodies are constantly communicating to us that something needs to be checked out, attended to and corrected. If one doctor ignores or dismisses the “signs” that something is wrong then the responsibility that God grants unto us to take care of and be good stewards of God’s creation demands that we obtain a second or third opinion.

Case in point was my heart in 1997. After a series of tests the doctor said, “Well, there really isn’t anything to be concerned about. You do have this little anomaly, but it isn’t anything really important. I’m not concerned.” Well, I sought a second opinion and that “little anomaly” was actually two major blockages that could have and would have killed me if a double by-pass hadn’t been performed. Our bodies try to communicate as much information as possible as to what is going on inside. It is our responsibility to listen and get medical attention.

But there are some things that kind of go undetected like my wife’s carotid arteries. Usually the body doesn’t communicate with you if they are blocked or not. So, in these cases, it becomes our task to discover if something is going on which needs further attention. Organizations such as Life Line Screening can be extremely helpful, but again, we have to take action by paying attention as to when they are in our area, call and make an appointment, pay the fees and the show up at our appointed time. That is the least we can do for our bodies. Thank God we did because we saved Margaret from a possible stroke if the carotid artery, which was 85 percent blocked, had been left alone.

While visiting in the hospital some years ago the doctor for the gentleman in the bed came in to deliver the news that he had prostate cancer. The doctor began the conversation with, “How long have you had trouble urinating?” “Oh, about 2-years,” was his response. “Why didn’t you come see me when the problem first arose?” the doctor asked. “Because I was afraid that it might be cancer,” the gentleman shared. To which the doctor stated, “Well, it wasn’t then, but it is now.” My member lived just 8 more months.

Take the time and have a yearly medical check up. Don’t ignore the pains and/or changes in or on your body. If you don’t have a primary physician, find one or make use of a “walk-in” clinic (if you live in or around the greater Orlando area I would highly recommend Dr. Bill Barnard at the Emergency Medicine Physician walk-in clinic). But don’t just try to “live” with the pain … we wouldn’t if it is our house so why do we do it with our bodies. If our house falls apart we can always purchase another house, but our bodies is the only one we will ever have so it behooves us to take care of it! Wouldn’t you agree?

Quote for today: The greatest wealth is health. Virgil