Built from the Ground Up

Have you ever watched a skyscraper being built?  They start by digging a big hole, then pour concrete footings, add steel beams, and lots of glass, along with countless hours of hard work by hundreds if not thousands of skilled craftsmen.  The finish work includes plumbing, electrical, heating and air conditioning, plus lots of walls, doors, and carpet.  A skyscraper is an extraordinarily complicated project; nevertheless, it doesn’t come anywhere close to the complexity of the body you are living in right now.

God Built You from the Ground Up

God is not only the builder but also the designer of the body you live in.  Your beating heart and your expanding and contracting lungs are His design and construction.  The difference between humans and skyscrapers is the simple fact that we are not all built to exacting tolerances.  In His ultimate wisdom, God has built some of us to near perfection and a great many others to a somewhat lesser degree of excellence.  Those of us who are living in an imperfect body sometimes tend to be jealous of those who are without blemish. But the truth is, God has a purpose for our imperfection. God doesn’t make mistakes.  There is a reason He built you just the way you are.

“Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”  Genesis 2:7 (NIV)

How to Embrace the Body God Built for You

For some it may be very difficult to embrace a human structure that is a constant ordeal or in need of continuous maintenance.  There is nothing easy about living in pain or with a disability that only makes life more difficult.  Even a relatively minor difference like being too short, or too tall, or slightly overweight, can make life a bit of an uncomfortable challenge. Your builder and designer, God, is aware of every moment of your day.  If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, God is with you every moment of every day.  Whatever challenge God has given you is one you can be certain He is confident you can endure.  One might even conclude, the greater the challenge, the more confidence God has in your abilities to overcome adversity.  While we can’t know for sure why God has created some of us with less than perfect bodies, we can know for sure it was not an accident; He has a plan that includes our imperfections.  Our mission is to stay focused on loving God and loving our neighbors without regard for our own difficulties.  That unselfish desire to serve rather than be served will guide us toward God’s ultimate reason for creating us just the way we are.

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

All scripture references are linked to Bible Gateway so that you can read each verse in context.  Bible Gateway allows you to change the verse to your favorite translation and compare it side-by-side with multiple translations.  In addition, you can select to hear an audio version of any verse by clicking on the speaker icon.  Keep the Bible Gateway App on your phone so that you can visit the Word of God at any time during your day.

All or Nothing