BRRR! You think you are cold?

Yes. December was an unusually cold month. Now we are in January- our coldest month of the year.

I recently had a conversation with someone who spends his winter driving a bus on the oil fields of Alaska. He said the temperature reaches -55 degrees. Seats are taken out of the bus and replaced with heaters so the bus can be warm. The buses are never turned off all winter because they will not start again.

He also told me about two animals native to Alaska.

First is the Alaskan Wood Frog. This frog hibernates frozen solid during the winter. At the beginning of the winter, ice fills the frog’s abdominal cavity and encases all internal organs. The eyes turn white because the lenses freeze. The liver produces a syrupy glucose that fills every cell and prevents freezing and dehydration. It is unbelievable how all those processes happen, and then the frog thaws out to resume its activities in the spring! Good as new!

Second is the Arctic ground squirrel. It hibernates for 7-8 months. Its body temperature may drop to 27 degrees.

Both are truly biological miracles.

Even more miraculous is that we are God’s masterpiece. We have trillions of cells. One red blood cell can hold over 1 billion molecules of oxygen.  We have 25 essential elements. We are organized into 11 integrated systems that have sub systems that work perfectly together. The complexity and perfection of how our bodies function is beyond anything we can understand.  Since I can never pronounce it- let’s not even try to unlock the mysteries and complexities of DNA- Deoxyribonucleic Acid. Is it even possible to grasp that there are billions of nucleotides in one strand of DNA!? This is the master instruction manual for all life. Every detail about you screams of an awesome and infinitely intelligent Creator.

We are created in His image. As Charles Spurgeon exclaimed, “You are the workmanship of a loving Creator.” You are not random. You were intentionally, lovingly created. Ephesians 1:4 exclaims,” Even before He made the world, God loved us.” WOW! That is worth reflecting upon for a few minutes. Before God set millions of stars in place; before He perfected how an Alaskan Wood Frog could freeze and then come back to life- He had us in mind!

The next time we feel unsure of our worth, remember that every part of you carries God’s fingerprint. You are a divine creation handcrafted with detail, precision, love and care.

Psalms 139:14 says, “ I praise You because I am wonderfully made.”

Can you write down five items about your body, mind, abilities, and experiences that you can thank and praise God for?