My Body and Me

This chapter should help me to carefully notice the connection between me (the person that I am) and my personal makeup and parts (body).

Our Teeth Can Teach Us Something

Have you ever had a toothache? If you have, think about it. Does your toothache send its message to you? ________ Do you know the toothache exists? ________ Can a bad toothache make you unable to do and to think as you normally would? My toothache affects me! If you had a bad toothache, would you be able to pay attention in school as well as you normally do?

Are you careful to do a good job brushing your teeth after you eat? ("Up from the bottom; down from the top!") If you are careful about this, will you have fewer cavities? What happens when we get cavities? Is there a certain person that we visit? Do you enjoy visiting this person? Should we be glad for the dentist or should we panic and be afraid? ____________________________________________________________ Having a tooth filled is not always the most enjoyable experience in the world. Can you think of things you would rather do? But, it is better to have Dr. Dentist fill the tooth than to let the cavity get bigger and bigger and someday lose the tooth! We need to go to the dentist with our tooth problems.

In the same way, we need to go to the living God with all our needs and problems. Can the dentist help you if you hide under the couch and refuse to get in his chair? Can the dentist help you if you do not come to him? _______ Can God help you if you do not come to Him? Read what Jesus said to a group of people in John 5:40. Were these people willing to come to Jesus? _______ Did they want Jesus to help them? _______ If they had come to Him, what would He have given to them (John 5:40)? _________________ Does Jesus invite people to come (Matthew 11:28)? _______ What will He give to those that come (Matthew 11:28)? R____________ The dentist says, "Come unto me and I will give you a filling." Those who do not come do not get the filling! Jesus promises rest to all those who come to Him. Those who do not come to Jesus do not get ____________

Consider 1 Peter 5:7: "Casting _______ your care (worry) upon Him; for He careth for _________." It is hard to trust someone if you do not think that the person cares for you. If you thought that the dentist was going to drill a hole straight through your head, you would have stayed far away from his chair! But you can cast all of your "tooth cares" upon the dentist because you know that he is able to help, and that he cares about you and about your teeth and he is only trying to help you. The more we realize how much God cares for us, the more we will learn to trust Him!

What happens to our first teeth (our baby teeth)? ____________________________________ Why? The baby teeth are usually replaced by the permanent ones. The first teeth do not last very long. They are replaced by teeth that may even last a whole lifetime! Should we be thankful to our God who made our bodies in such a wonderful way (see Psalm 139:14)? ______ Our body did not evolve from some ape-like creature over a period of millions of years, but it was made by a wonderful Creator: "I am fearfully and wonderfully _____________" (Psalm 139:14). When was the last time you thanked God for your teeth? What problems would you have if you had no teeth?

God replaces our teeth, and what else does He replace? Does He replace our nails? Does He replace our hair? Does He replace our blood or do we use the same old blood all of our life?

Most of all and best of all, what does God replace? Teeth come and go and baby teeth are replaced. Someday the body is going to go and God will replace it with a brand new body, and this new body will be much more wonderful than the body we have now! The body we have now is just temporary (like the baby teeth). Our new resurrection body will be permanent (it will last forever).

The Bible tells us that Christians who have died will someday be raised (see 1 Corinthians 15:52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16). What does resurrection (being raised) mean? This word means "to set up, to rise," just as a person stands on his feet again. It is the opposite of falling (people fall down and people rise up). In the New Testament the word is used to describe what happens to the body: a rising of the body from the state of death. The believer’s body "falls down dead" but God is able to raise it up! How did God prove that He is able to raise up a dead body? Has God ever done this (1 Corinthians 15:4,12,20)? ________

God describes our new resurrection body in two ways and both of these words begin with the letter "I". They are found in 1 Corinthians 15:53:

1. Incorruption (incorruptible) – the body will never wear out or run down or get old.

The believer is going to put off this outer, earthly house (our present body) and will receive a new one that lasts forever (see 2 Corinthians 5:1--an eternal house). Just as the baby teeth must go to receive better teeth, so also the body must go to receive a better body (a brand new, forever kind of body).

My Health Is Affected By My Feelings

The word "affected" means "producing a change strong enough for a reaction." We all know that our health is affected by what we eat. If I were to eat 100 candy bars in one hour, I would probably be affected by this (I would probably have a stomach ache or something worse). My health is affected by how I dress. If I go outside in cold weather without a warm coat, I may catch a cold. I also need to understand that my health is affected by my emotions (my feelings). My health is affected...

. . .When	I worry! What is worry? Why do we worry? What does God say about worry (Philippians 4:6-7; Matthew 6:25-34)?
. . .When	I am unhappy (sad, discouraged, "in the dumps")
. . .When	I feel lonely (all alone)
. . .When	I fear (when I am afraid)
. . .When	I am angry in the wrong way (Ephesians 4:31)

All of these things (and many more) affect me and my body in the wrong way. All of these things (worry, fear, the wrong kind of anger, etc.) make my body less able to fight off infections and can bring upon me real physical pain such as a headache, stomach cramps, etc.

	When my physical body is not right and well, it can upset how I think, feel and act.
My body and my emotions are close partners.
	When my feelings are not right and well (when I am thinking and feeling wrong) it can upset how my body feels. It can affect my physical health and my body's ability to fight disease.
Emotions (feelings) are inside my body.

It is also important to know and notice the health of each member of your family. It is also important to know and notice their physical, mental and emotional states. Why is this important?

Remember, your bad moods and grumpiness can spread so that others also get in a bad mood and become grumpy. How you are affects them and how they are affects you! So also your good, happy, cheerful mood can be a real help to all (next time you wake up in the morning greet your family with a big smile and a cheerful "Good morning everybody!" and see what a difference it will make).

Is it possible for a young person to make believe he (or she) is sick just to get attention? Why is it not good to do this? Here are some reasons:

1. Making believe you are sick could lead to really being sick. If you act sick and think sick, pretty soon you may be sick!

1. Remember that you always have God’s attention. Learn how much He loves you. Be satisfied, happy, and joyous. Live in such a way that you tackle the problems as they come.

2. Don’t be thinking wrong and thus become bored, full of failures, disappointments, etc.

Be a good detective! Be a good doctor! Watch out for these signs that may point to physical health probelms:

Loss of appetite, sudden irritability (little things really start to bother you), trouble sleeping, being very tired, pain, feeling hot, etc.

Can you think of others?

Not wanting to read God’s Word or hear God’s Word; not wanting to pray; worry; "I don’t care!" attitude; "So what?" attitude, "I don't want to do what pleases God!" attitude, etc.

Can you think of others?

Which is easier and better to catch: a bad tooth at the beginning before it gets really bad or a bad tooth after it gets very bad? ____________________________________________ Suppose you had cancer in your body. Would you want the doctor to take care of this right away or would you want the cancer to stay in your body for a long time so that it could spread and grow and get worse and possibly even kill you? It is always best to catch things early. This is called preventive medicine (preventing sickness and disease by catching things early or by doing what is necessary for staying healthy).

Preventive medicine would include things like regular visits to the doctor and to the dentist, brushing teeth, getting plenty of sleep and exercise, eating well, staying mentally and spiritually healthy, thinking right, living right, etc. It pays off to catch things early! This is why we take time to check our eyes, ears, teeth, etc.

Is there anything about your health you have not checked? Is there anything you need to check and be concerned about? If so, share this with your parents. Sometimes there are things that you can share with your S.S. Teacher or with your Pastor. Get some real help. Get some right help.

What about spiritual preventive medicine? How about spiritually catching things before they get bad? Be glad when those who love you and care for you show you areas in your life that you need to fix with God’s help. Are you glad when they do this?

The only way to stay spiritually healthy is to stay on good terms with the Lord:

CHAPTER 8

Our Teeth Can Teach Us Something

My Health Is Affected By My Feelings