Gather Evidence Like a Dog
My dog, Liesl goes for a walk and the first thing she does is sniff the air. Then she will sniff the sidewalk, pavement, bushes and blades of grass with great interest. She makes a path as if she were tracking something or following a trail left by something or someone. Finally she gets to sniffing the fire hydrants and – well – other dogs – excrement. Her nose twitches as she takes in all the demographics as only dogs can do. Its as if she is gathering evidence or like a computer gathering data and processing it for further use.
Evidence and data. Dogs have sensory perception that we can only dream of. Scientists report that a dog’s sense of smell is 10,000 to 100,000 times more acute than a human’s. One of the reasons a dog has a much better smelling ability than we do has to do with the number of scent receptors: For every scent receptor a human has, a dog has about 50.
As I watched Liesl gather information, I believe she could tell breed, color, height, weight, age and probably even what ails them and what they are lacking in nutrition.
It got me to thinking. I wish we humans had those capabilities. Wouldn’t it be great if we could sniff out cancer before it spreads throughout our bodies. Or be able to detect when we are going to have a seizure. We could sense the needs of others and perhaps make a difference. Oh, how good it would be good to gather evidence like a dog.
Wouldn’t it be great if we humans could go into a doctor’s office and simply have them sniff, look and get all the demographics they need to determine what is ailing us and what is needed to make us well?
Of course we humans don’t have this super power. God gave dogs this sensory ability. But we do have a super power of our own. Its called a brain. And we need to utilize our brain to make up for what we don’t have.
But it isn’t easy, is it? And it requires work and effort on our part and that of the health care practitioner. But for every effort comes a reward. Its worth it to keep up with our maintenance. Even if it feels it is all that we are doing. Lately I realize there is a reason for retirement – to have time to maintain our bodies as it becomes a fulltime job!
Like a dog on a walk, we too must walk our life seeking, learning, and being aware of what is going on with our bodies, making notes, asking questions and pursuing health. It means sniffing out best doctors, best practices, and best environments and doggedly pursuing them.
Our life is a gift from God. He made all forms of life on this earth with human life being the crown of His creation. He knit us together in our mother’s womb. We are wonderfully and fearfully made. He knows and sees all and though our lives are not free from pain, and peril, he promises to be with us always and forever in eternity. Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins and we honor that sacrifice by honoring God with our bodies.
God wants us to take care of ourselves Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19.) This is a powerful reminder to honor and respect our bodies, taking care of our physical, mental, and emotional health, and living in accordance with God’s will, not ours.
And one of the first steps is to take good care of our bodies. Take the time to learn about our physical self. Take the time to learn about our family history, our medical history and how to navigate the medical arena and health care system so that we can honor God with our energy and work for the Lord.
I have to confess, I am just a little jealous of my dog’s sniffer. But though we do not have the sense of smell that a dog has, we can look to God for the strength, seek the tools of this world (plant, mineral, animal life, and technological advances) to live our lives in healthy pursuits to honor our Father God.
My prayer is that you gather evidence like a dog to live your best life
How will you honor the temple that God gave you in pursuing health and wellness? Take one thing that you can do to improve your health today. As you do, seek His wisdom and give thanks for the life you have and the beauty that surrounds you. Glory to God in the highest.
Praise God from whom all blessing flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen. Luke 2:14
Thank you for reading my post. If you have found it encouraging please consider liking, commenting or sharing it. Feel free to even re-blog – may these words take flight!
I have additional insights I’d love to share with you found in the pages of my debut book: Surviving Medical Mayhem – Laughing When It Hurts. To order a copy or learn more go to my website at www.lorettaschoen.com
Blessings for Health & Wellness.