Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. - Psalm 139:14

Good news this morning regarding my dad's recovery. My mum phoned to say he had been for a walk (with assistance) down the hall and that he is looking forward to reading the newspaper and maybe doing some crossword puzzles. That and - of course - "Would you bring me a cup of tea and some toast and marmalade?"

When I left Sarasota late yesterday morning he was still in Critical Care and exhausted from lack of sleep. They were giving him another unit of blood and trying to settle his blood pressure down. There was nothing out of the ordinary (well, not if you've had your ribcage pulled apart and your heart temporarily detached from your body) just a long, tedious recovery process and a lot of extra care.

You know, our bodies really are amazing and miraculous machines. Sometimes, when I think about all the intricacies and the overlapping variables that all work together, I'm surprised it's possible to even walk across the room to pour coffee - let alone live for 80 years or more, performing complex tasks, digesting food and extracting energy, cleaning blood, processing carbohydrates, breathing, utilizing various parts of the brain, cataloging and storing information....

So, in one of those "life examined" moments, I'm renewing my commitment to take care of this amazing 175 (give or take!) pounds of flesh and blood. I've done pretty well, thus far; but - like the way I used to rely on my natural gifts to get by in school - most of my success has been the result of the basic equipment I was issued at the beginning of the game.

When I turned fifty I made some positive changes that yielded some fairly spectacular results. Now I need to make sure I'm not simply coasting on momentum.

So here's my goal for my next, annual, checkup. Simply put, my doctor is going to make some utterance of incredulity. "OMG," she'll say; "How on earth are you managing to be in such great shape?"

"It's a gift," I'll reply; "I'm just taking care of something my Father trusted me with."

The check up is scheduled for February 11, 2010.

• Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. - 1 Corinthians 6:19