Skin and Bones

This past summer I was able to teach the morning chapels at camp once again.  Since our theme this year was science, I decided to talk about the human body, specifically our skin and bones.  I based these talks on some chapters from a book called Fearfully and Wonderfully Made by Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey.

The most important qualities our bones need to have are being strong and rigid.  Bones that are brittle, bent and weak are of little use.  These bones come together to form our skeleton, and this is what gives framework to our bodies.  Without our skeletons we would be a big blog of tissues.  We would not be able to move about or do much of anything.

On the spiritual side of life, the thing that gives structure to our lives are the commandments of God.  These commands are intended by God to help us live the best life possible here on earth.  They allow us to move and work and do.

But here’s the thing.

We don’t have an exoskeleton, like a bug or a crab or lobster.  When we think about these creatures we know they are not cuddly or warm; they are cold and hard and repelling.  But in our analogy, if the front we present to the world is all about the rules we follow, the sins we avoid and the commands we preach, we are showing the world an exoskeleton that is cold and hard and repelling.

God gave us skeletons that are covered with flesh, flesh that is warm and soft and touchable.  Our skin and our sense of touch are how we communicate love to others.  

And so it is with our faith.  The structure we hold fast to in building our spiritual lives must be covered with the warmth of our flesh and the free-flowing love of God that should radiate from our lives.  This is what will attract others to our Savior.

Jesus set this all straight when he told the story of the Good Samaritan.  He responded to a question by saying that the greatest commandments are to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself.  After further questioning, he told the story of the injured man who was passed by on the road by religious people because they were keeping the rules, because they did not want to become unclean according to the law.

The hero of the story is the Samaritan who comes to the injured man’s aid, who touches him, who carries him to safety, and who binds his wounds.  He was not afraid to show love to him, not afraid to touch him, even though the cost to him was significant.

Even now, weeks later, this lesson comes to me often.  I ask myself, “Do my actions display love and warmth or am I being cold and distant?”  I ask this often because I am prone to be cold and distant, and have difficulty overcoming the tendency to identify as a rule-follower, and to judge harshly those who don’t follow the rules I think are important. It is something I must work at daily.

Thankfully, I am a work in progress, and I see my faith being “fleshed out.”