We often think about how the Body of Christ should function like the human body. But perhaps we don't usually think about it the other way around. The human body flourishes under the same conditions as the Body of Christ. Unity. Nourishment. Nurture. If we examine the conditions that help our bodies to function best, we might get a better understanding of how the church should function. If we examine the church, we might get a few clues as to how the human body should be nurtured.
The pastor at my church has said something I really like several times now. He says that it is the nature of the Kingdom of God and its various aspects to grow and flourish, and if it does not, it means there are obstacles--and these obstacles reside in us, not in God or in our environment. The same thing goes for our bodies. I think that the rate of success of alternative medicine demonstrates that our bodies are designed to heal themselves so they can function at their best. It is the nature of the human body to grow and flourish. But so often medicine is used to suppress symptoms: symptoms that evidence a deeper cause. It is not until that deeper cause is removed that the body can heal itself once again.
I have seen that in my own health struggles. I have also seen how important unity is in the function of the human body. It may sound New Age, but it is true. The mind's function cannot be separated from the body or from the spirit. Mental distress can wreak havoc on the body.
My favorite theology professor used to say that in Jesus' time, people didn't compartmentalize. If you believed it, you lived it. You couldn't not do so. But today, it's not hard to shut off what goes on in our minds, or even one part of our minds, and focus on other things we deem more important. Yet even if we shut it off, it can grow. Whether it's fear, anger, sadness, or hate...and then they burst the mental partitions. And we aren't ready to deal with them in such magnitude.
No conclusion today.
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