Body Worlds

Today I went to Body Worlds, an exhibit where they show different displays of the human body that have been preserved through a process called plastination. It was interesting, inspiring, and thought provoking. Here are a few of my thoughts:

The Human Body is Amazing:

Our bodies are so complex (and on many different scales) that it's hard to comprehend the perfect balance and brilliant composure. All of the organs work and fit together perfectly to make living creatures that can move, think, and create. The organs are also surprisingly perfect. The interior of the small intestine, for example, is much larger than one might believe when looking at the small exterior. The interior is full of ripples that maximize the surface area, allowing the small intestine to accomplish much much more. (Think of it as stuffing a sheet inside of a hose. The hose has a rather small circumference, but if you were to cut it open, remove the sheet, and stretch it out, it would cover a large area. The area (the sheet) is what does all the work in the small intestine). All of the organs of the body fit together like pieces of a puzzle, and they support each other as well. The heart delivers blood to the lungs, the lungs provide oxygen for the blood, the blood delivers nutrients to the muscles, the muscles provide food for the digestive system, and the digestive system delivers those nutrients to the blood. The human body is amazing.

God is Amazing:

It's one thing to look at the wonders of the human body and admire them, it's another thing altogether to engineer such a creature. Not only did God create all living things, but it must have been done by designing the genetic code that would produce the desired results. How does one write the genetic coding that will create a human being in all its glory and amazing systems? How do you decide to create a bird, a whale, a lion, or any animal, and then make the genetic coding that will constantly generate the designed animal despite generations of changes to the coding? It's beyond both my comprehension and the talents of mother nature.

Our Journey:

One segment of the exhibit featured fetuses in different stages of development. The human fetus at 8 weeks is stunning. It is smaller than the tip of my pinky, yet has eyes, a mouth, arms and legs, hands and feet, each one with five fingers or toes. Even more unbelievable was the realization that I used to be there, that I was once a tiny, helpless fetus that was so small and fragile. It is amazing that something like that can grow into a strong and intelligent man or woman. If we didn't already know the end from the beginning, we might not believe it. I suppose that when we look at how great and marvelous God is, compared to the frailty and simple mindedness of mankind, one might not believe the potential that we have. Even as the little fetus can grow into something so much greater, we too can exceed our current bounds and become like God.