Verse of the Day - Philippians 3:21

He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
~ Philippians 3:21 (NLT)

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I have a skin disease called vitiligo, also known as the "Michael Jackson" disease, a progressive condition where skin cells stop producing pigment, and white patches are the result. I've had this disease almost since I can remember, maybe 6 or 7 years old. Most information says it's an auto-immune disease, but so much is still unknown about it's cause and cure.

My mom did seemingly endless research when I was a kid, looking for anything to help me reverse this leoparding of my skin. When she heard that raw liver might help, I was in trouble -- lol! She cut it into teeny-weeny pieces and then froze it, and I sorta half-chewed/half-swallowed it, slathered in catsup. (Wow, that was a repressed memory I just dredged up... :-) To this day, I keep thinking there's a nutritional reason for this, and that I might finally unlock the mystery. Last night, I took some pictures of my hands and feet, very prominent places where spots are taking over. In case the vitamin regimen I'm on now might work, I want to have some proof of improvement!

But as prominent as these leopard spots are, they don't define me. This weak body of mine won't be carried into eternity when Jesus comes -- praise God! Do we see ourselves as forever having the weakness of our mortal bodies -- whether that's painless leopard spots, or debilitating diseases such as cerebral palsy or macular degeneration? They can become so much a part of our thought processes and how we see ourselves that we can become consumed by them . . . but are we missing the forest for the trees? Are we getting bogged down with the weakness of our flesh, so that we lose sight of our walk with God and our calling to serve Him, in spite of our weaknesses? Hmm...

For those of us who choose Jesus Christ as Savior, we're not bound to the weakness of this flesh forever. But in the meantime, while we wait for the return of our Lord and the transformation of our flesh, let's keep our mental and emotional balance by realizing that sin and it's fallout on our human bodies does not define us. Our focus should be on that which lasts throughout eternity -- our love relationship with Jesus Christ, and the spiritual fruit He calls us to produce here on earth.

Love,
Joelene