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"Christian faith is spoken into our bodies." ~ Marc Ostlie-Olson. Luther Seminary God Pause. 9-4-2009
I have been made so aware of my body this summer (pain has a way of doing that). My physical self is so weak! But God speaks faith into my bones, into my flesh, into the center of my being. The phrase, "gut feelings" is based in the reality that intuition manifests in physical clues to what is true. Our guts are closely tied to the emotions. Butterflies in the stomach, stomach tied in knots. Worry can lead to many stomach problems. Stress can exacerbate and even create pain in our physical center. I spent six days in the hospital in mid-July with Pancreatitis. Being so ill has forced me to take time out to evaluate what matters most in my life. While visiting my parents in Illinois, far from home, I found myself in so much pain that I asked my Mom to take me to the hospital. The adult returns to the position of the child.

We cannot live without a pancreas. It orchestrates the absorption of nourishment into our bodies. The pancreas sits a little to the left in the center of the body, just under the breasts, beneath the stomach. The pain literally doubled me over, made it impossible to walk upright. The treatment is to stop all food and drink by mouth, deliver liquids to the body by IV, allowing the pancreas to rest. Without the ability to rest, the pancreas could be damaged and possibly quit functioning or cause other organs to be damaged. It is a powerful organ – controlling the life of the body as much as the heart, perhaps even more. The pancreas has a dual function – it secretes enzymes into the digestive system and hormones into the blood.

In my helplessness, over the course of my stay in the hospital, I realized there are many, many circumstances that I have tolerated, some for numerous years, that I can no longer allow to exist. I must infuse the power of the pancreas into my life. Rather than continue as a victim, without control to change my circumstances. I must take control of the habits, and the lies I have told myself that twisted my guts into knots, and made bile rise in my throat as I choked down and suppressed my emotional pain. I am not a victim and I have the power to change. I can find a way to take six days of emotional rest, as I was forced to take six days of physical rest. I’ve taken the first steps to reduce stress, to simplify my life and introduce some control back where there was no control. I am claiming the power of the pancreas as my own.