Handle With Care…It’s a One of a Kind

By F. D. Adkins

This past week, I developed a severe eye infection, and for several days, I was without vision in one of my eyes. Now, since I am working on writing another novel, and I have a teenager that needs transportation, my normal schedule was turned upside down because typing was a struggle and driving was out of the question.  Of course, a few days of discomfort is not that big of a deal. But it did give me a renewed understanding of how precious God’s gifts are, and that I should never take any of them for granted. My eyes are one of those gifts. And while I don’t abuse my eyes, I don’t exactly care for them the way that I should. I have worn contact lenses since I was sixteen years old. When I was young, I would wear them much longer than I was supposed to. As I got older and became more responsible, I started changing them according to the two-week schedule they were designed for but still have never taken them out daily. The doctor could not determine if this infection was caused by my contacts, but it is very possible. Needless to say, a few days without sight has given me a new appreciation for my eyes and thankful for a second chance to care for them.

I have heard it asked that if we get new bodies when we go to Heaven, what is the big deal about taking care of our earthly bodies.

• God created our bodies.
  • “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” Psalm 139:14 KJV
  • “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Genesis 1:27 KJV

Each of our bodies is a unique masterpiece of God that He created in His own image. He modeled us after Himself. Think about it. If you had an original Picasso painting worth millions of dollars, how would you take care of it?

Our body is a one-of-a-kind work of art created by God Himself.

And every part of our body has been specially designed… think about the engineering behind our eyes and our ears.

• “The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them.” Proverbs 20:12 KJV

• Our bodies are a temple for the Holy Spirit that lives in us when we accept Christ as our Savior.
  • “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” 1 Corinthians 6:19 KJV

Knowing that our body is a temple for the Holy Spirit should clarify how sacred our earthly bodies are and how important it is to keep our bodies healthy.

• Finally, our bodies are a gift from God.
  • “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17 KJV

Each morning that I wake up, every breath that I take, every beat of my heart, the ability to walk and run, being able to see my husband and my children and all the beautiful things God has made, the ability to hear the voices of my family, the ability to talk and communicate… all of it is a gift from God.

I should cherish every gift from God. God has given me the gift of sight, so I need to open my eyes and realize what a priceless gift this is and care for them with the knowledge that God created these eyes just for me.

Bible Verse to Memorize This Week: