“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all He created.” James 1:17-18 (NIV)
When most of us hear that verse, we think of people or blessings or opportunities or even material things, but do we ever think about the more basic and integral parts of our lives and realities?
Whether you acknowledge it or not, your body is an amazing gift, given to you by your Heavenly Father. And He gave us an incredible gift int the human body! It can grow itself, heal itself, alert you of pain or injury or allergies. The human body has eleven very intricate and complex systems. The muscular system alone is amazing, not to mention the cardiovascular system, the respiratory system, the neurological system, etc. And human eye is astounding in form and function! God gave people an incredible gift in these bodies; a gift of creation that God called “very good.” (See Genesis 1:31)
Do you see your body as very good? Do you treat it as something very good? Do you cherish it as a good and perfect gift from your Heavenly Father?
I give my kids gifts sometimes. I love my kids, and I try to give them things I think they need or will enjoy. Suffice it to say that I know when they love the gift I have given, because they cherish and care for it. I also know when they don’t.
As humans living in a world riddled with fallenness, some of us have ideas of what a “perfect” gift should look like — an idea undoubtedly shaped, at least in part, by the fickle and unrealistic views of the culture around us. Others of us live more physically impacted by the world’s fallenness, whether it is through disease or aging or tragedy. And cherishing the body becomes more challenging.
But the encouragement is this: our bodies are still amazing. And they are a good and perfect gift to be stewarded well in this lifetime. God made your body and breathed His life into it, and He renews your breath every day. And God is not fickle or unrealistic, but constant and sure. So, as long as God gives us breath, let’s thank Him and honor Him and praise Him for the gift of body … and care for it as someone who appreciates such a good gift!
ShemaFit 