Cindy Crawford’s Body
written by: Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“No longer drink only water, but take a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. ”
As most of you know, I take shots and mitt fulls of pills to address Ulcerative Colitis I was diagnosed with in my mid-fifties. Most unlucky people begin suffering from it in their 20’s or 30’s. I am reading 1 Thessalonians, and Paul is warning the people not to “ordain anyone hastily,” when all of a sudden, there is this random verse recommending “a little wine” for one’s stomach and other “frequent ailments.” You can’t say the Bible is all about dull platitudes and otherworldly stuff. There is nothing more this-worldly than stomach issues!
I think Paul stuck this into the earliest writing in the New Testament to show that all the changes in our lives, significant and small, heroic and embarrassing, are all part of our spiritual lives. The ancient Gnostics believed in the separation of the body from the soul. The body was corrupt, and only when the body is separated from the soul can one’s soul truly commune with the divine. There have been moments in the past several years when I wanted to separate my soul from my body, but much to my chagrin, the body, as well as the soul, is essential to God.
Caring for the body God created for you is a spiritual discipline. None of our bodies are perfect. My mother suffered from dwarfism, with exceptionally short arms and legs. She liked to say that she disagreed with the Bible’s idea of a Bodily Resurrection. She said, “If God is in heaven, my spiritual body will look just like Cindy Crawford’s.” I bet even Cindy Crawford has something about her body that isn’t good or comfortable. At least, for my late mother’s sake, I hope so.
Today, think about how you are using and abusing your bodies. Are there ways you are caring for your body? Are you eating right or getting enough exercise? Are you getting enough sleep? God blessed your body in your unique way. Even my body, with Ulcerative Colitis, a fused spine, and other congenital disabilities in my hips and back, is still blessed. It has carried me for the first 62 years, and I will need it for many more (hopefully). Mine isn’t a body anyone would wish for, but the minute I get frustrated or jealous, my mother says, “Scott, at least you can reach the top shelf of the pantry!” Respect and take care of what God has given you.
(Adapted from a devotion I wrote on Nov. 8, 2017)
