“SELFIES OF MY $7 BODY”

“SELFIES OF MY $7 BODY”
Sunday, April 3, 2022 by Leona Choy

I own a smartphone, and I do take photos with it. But I've never used the "selfie" camera feature which most of my family, especially the younger crowd, constantly use.

Okay, I know it's cool. At the same time, I'm a bit uncomfortable with it. Seems sort of ego-focused like a lot of Facebook entries. Could we be putting far more emphasis than necessary on our outward appearance? We continually showcase ourselves and display ourselves in every conceivable situation. No criticism, no judgment, just my personal reluctance.

Human infants are born self-centered. We understand their helplessness and we willingly care for them when their five senses cry out to be satisfied. Only as they grow and develop into maturity do they gradually become able to care for themselves.

Throughout the seasons of life, our bodily upkeep remains at the top of our priority list. As we reach the prime of life and beyond into our later calendar years, we may find ourselves focusing overly much on our bodily aches and pains and our health and healing. We can become preoccupied with the bodily maintenance and repair of our “earth suit.”

All such efforts consume our time and attention and taint our precious remaining years. We seem to shuttle between doctors' appointments or perhaps the health club for workouts or in pursuit of the latest discoveries in diet and nutrition. Pharmacy stops for prescriptions are part of our regular schedule. The older we get the more our physical infrastructure is breaking down, resulting in even more time and energy—and money—spent on keeping our “clay dust” in running order. We can become so self-absorbed that “gazing at our navel,” so to speak, can become our new normal in our seasoned years and the topic of most peer group discussions.

Isn't self-care commendable? Of course, we should be responsible stewards of the human body God has given us. It is a matter of the proper eternal perspective and balance. We need to understand God's overall plan for this “clay dust” into which He breathed the breath of life and on which we are spending so much time and taking so many selfies.

Self-awareness is important. At the same time, the Scripture cautions us not to “think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, but to think soberly” (Rom. 12:3). Balance means to put temporal things and eternal things in perspective. Self-esteem is good; self-conceit to be avoided. Pride is right in its place; pridefulness is negative. Continually bemoaning our unworthiness is not humility, which is a virtue. We need God-perspective.

What is this human body of which we are taking “selfies”? At the end of the day, what is its worth? Does it merit all the attention we give to it? The upkeep, nurture, feeding, clothing, and efforts to keep it young-looking is time-consuming. What happens after its beauty fades and its inevitable decline? (2 Cor. 4:16-18; 5:1) Is anything left after the body becomes dust? Is this morbid talk? Something to “lose heart” over?

Psalm 62:9 in one of the newer translations: “Human beings are all like a puff of breath; great and small alike are worthless. Put them on the scales, and they weigh nothing; they are lighter than a mere breath." King David wrote that observation thousands of years ago without modern scientific knowledge or Google search to back up his declaration.

The following from a philosophical essay written by my friend, Dr. Karl de Azagra, a retired physics professor, from his book and website: EXPLORING THE HUMAN THEOREM THESIS:

"The human body is made up of approximately 70 percent water. (We are (practically a walking swimming pool!). The residual 30 percent is mainly composed of carbon, nitrogen, and 28 other chemical elements such as calcium, potassium, iron, and even the highly toxic arsenic. At face value, these compounds are nothing more than abundant, cheap raw materials! What is more, everything in our bodies is ultimately composed of atoms – most of which are actually empty spaces!

"If we wanted to accumulate all of the real matter within a single human body into a single solid block, we would have to compress all our atoms with a powerful (and imaginary!) press to eliminate all the space, or vacuum, within them. If we undertook this hypothetical compression, our total mass would hardly fill half of a thimble! [if you remember what that is!] As a result, I doubt that the marketplace would offer more than $7 for the sum of our body’s organic compounds, even with an interested buyer."

Realistically then, we are taking “selfie” pictures of our $7 human self. Is it proof then that when we “Put our bodies on the scales and they weigh nothing; they are lighter than a mere breath"? Are we really worth so little?

No! We are of incalculable worth to God! God is the “interested buyer.” He created us as both a temporal, progressively wasting away body AND an eternal, undying soul (spirit). He values our human bodies so greatly that He plans to resurrect them, no matter what condition they will be in when Jesus returns. God plans to transform them to live in His Eternal Dimension. He plans to reunite our bodies with our souls which will be temporarily waiting in Heaven with Jesus until the resurrection.

The apostle Paul declares with assurance: “For you are bought [by Jesus] with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which is God's” (1 Cor. 6:20). Jesus paid an immense price for us by giving His life on the cross for our sins. God doesn't care for or prepare for only the future of our spirit but for our body also. Both are precious to Him.

It is clear by the mercies of God what we should do with our bodies, “Present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” (Rom. 12:1).

If we were to take a true “selfie” of ourselves with an imaginary spiritual X-ray or heavenly MRI or a sacred CT scan in our smartphone camera, how surprised we would be! Only then could we see our invisible soul or the indwelling Holy Spirit inside the body of a Christian. What a marvelous future ahead for our $7 bodies!

We should be responsible stewards of the human body God has given us. However, it is a matter of the proper eternal perspective and balance. We need to understand God's overall plan for this “clay dust” into which He breathed the breath of life and on which we are spending so much time.

The entire sweep of Scripture and of Jesus' teaching and His healing ministry on earth speaks loudly about the value that God puts on our human bodies, not just our souls. We are assured that God cares for our mortal bodies. Although Jesus knew that the people He healed would eventually die, He still had compassion and healed their infirmities and hurting bodies. Most of us, I dare say all of us, have some friends and family facing bodily illnesses of various severity, as well as ourselves.

We also experience the loss of friends and loved ones through the years because eventually, the “clay dust” on which we have spent so much time passes away. When the body finally gives out, and God's purpose for its earthly journey is finished, our soul temporarily separates from it and leaves for Heaven.

But there’s more! God has beautiful plans in store for our mortal bodies as well as our souls. Our bodies are not simply abandoned discards when the breath has gone from them. Our “earth suits” are not throw-aways of no value. God's ultimate plan is to resurrect our bodies of flesh and transform them into glorious, immortal bodies suitable for living in God’s Eternal Dimension.

“Do you believe this?” Jesus asked the grieving Martha, who confirmed that she did believe in the resurrection and in Him, who declared, "I AM the Resurrection and the Life."

To God, our bodies are not mere “clay dust” but precious “gold dust!” He has destined us to live with Him forever--body and soul united again--in these very bodies which we have been caring for diligently all these years.*

*Have you ordered your copies of Will We Need Cell Phones in Heaven?

from [email protected].

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Comments

Jan Ni hold From Buford, GA At 4/5/2022 9:31:17 AM

Love your message. Cell phones are both a blessing and a curse. Used rightly, they can and do good. But Satan is laughing as he enjoys seeing cell phones used for evil to promote all types of sin that can hinder eternal life in heaven. Prayers needed.??