The Senses

April 18th

Part 9 of Spirit, Soul and Body.

THE BODY

I wrote last time that the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.

I wrote about the physical body. When we talk about the body, we are also including the five senses. These are: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.

THE SIGHT

God has created our eyes. They are like a door opening up for a lot of fantastic impressions, but also many bad ones. To-day I can hardly change from one channel to another one on TV. Anything might pop up on the screen. One second of violence or pornography is enough to fasten in my mind. When I choose what I want to look at, I often ask Jesus if He wants to look at the same as myself. That limits me quite a lot.

In Matt.5:28 it is written:” Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” We see hear that what we look at can lead us to sin.

A lot of our information comes through the eyes. We use our eyes when we read, look at maps and pictures. We are using our eyes for orientation. When we enter a new room, we look around to see how we can walk. You cannot drive a car if you are blind. I must take one or more rests if I drive far since I use my eyes all the time.

The sight is much more than a door opening up for sin, it gives much joy and fantastic experiences with nature. It is also very useful for learning.

If you are a mother, think of the joy you had the first time you saw your baby. When you are in love, you can get a heart-beat when you see your loved friend.

What we see, gives us signals to both the soul and the body.

I get happy when I see beautiful flowers and quite blissful when I see gorgeous waters and tall mountains. I cried once when I say the mountains covered with snow. So beautiful!

We are sometimes saying:” Show me you book-shelf, and I will tell you who you are.” What we read is forming us. I am so glad that the blind can read through their fingers instead of through the eyes.

Sometimes we see things that warn us about danger and that can save our lives.

We can live without seeing, but we miss a lot of wonderful experiences and a lot of useful information. Thank God for creating us with eyes.

OUR HEARING

Both sight and hearing are tools for orientation. A blind is using his hearing even more than others.

God has created us with a limited tolerance of sound. The sound should not be too loud nor too sharp. There are many young people with damaged hearing since they frequently went to loud concerts. Many workers have to use protection when they are exposed to loud and unpleasant sounds.

We use our hearing when we talk to each other. This become an entrance for all our words and those of others. There are positive and negative power in the words so we have to be careful with whom we associate. If we associate with people cursing and telling bad jokes, these things will enter our mind. If we associate with people full of blessings and encouragement, that will form us. Gossip is sin and if we allow our ears to listen to it, we are also sinning. I use my ears a lot when I counsel people. I listen both to the person and to the Holy Spirit. I watch expressions and body-language, but the words are the most important source of information.

When we attend a meeting or service, we listen to the preacher, but also to the songs and to the music. If the preacher is teaching something else than what is written in The Bible, change congregation. Everything we hear is entering into us. Some people say that what they hear comes in one ear and goes out the other ear. I don’t believe in that.

Music is a great part of my life. I am using it in order to enter the presence of the Lord and to be with Him. I love to go to a concert listening to good music or turn on music in the car. Music creates joy and peace, but there are times when music also does the opposite.

When we listen to people around us, we know if they are happy or angry. We hear it on their voice. A small child is very sensitive to the voice of its mother.

Hearing is also used in warning us of danger.

God has created our hearing as a very useful tool and for lots of joy.

SMELL

We often come home hungry saying: ” It smells wonderful here.” Different smells of food create different reactions in our thoughts, emotions and body. I have been places where the smell of food made me sick, especially the smell of certain grease.

It is interesting to notice how fast the body react to smell.

Those who produce perfume, speculate in this and advertise with smells making you more sexy. When we smell of perspiration and sweat, we associate this with something unpleasant.

When we enter a hospital, we can get a nauseating feeling or a feeling of anxiety. Maybe the smell of a hospital reminds us of something painful and unpleasant.

Our smell can warn us of poisonous gas.

We have a broad variety of good smells. I will mention the smell of flowers, rain in the forest and the smell of a little baby as an example.

TASTE

We are often saying when we eat:” Oh, this tastes really good!” We all have our favorite foods with our favorite tastes. I am traveling a lot and I am so glad that I enjoy most of the food I eat. Some others get sick and they are very limited in their choice of tastes. The same goes for all fluids. I have met people who love milk and I have met people hating the taste of milk.

I have seen pictures of people testing the taste of tea, coffee or wine. They keep the product for a short time in their mouth and then spit it out.

We can survive without the sense of taste, but life would be quite boring. God is good and He wants us to enjoy our eating and drinking.

TOUCH

Scientists say that a little child can die if it is’nt touched. A new-born baby gets a lot of its information by the touch of its mother or anther close person. A healthy contact with the body makes the child secure. When a child cries, the mother picks up the child and keeps the child close to her body. One pats the child for comfort. We often do the same with adults.

I often put my arms around a woman crying, patting her on the cheeks and I am holding her hand. A good and healthy body-contact or touch creates good health.

Married couples use this sense both in sexual contact and when they want to express their love for each other in other ways.

The sense of touch is unfortunately being misused. I can mention rape, incest and child-sex. Men can beat their wives and the hand becomes a threat instead of a tool of love.

In some countries children are beaten quite frequently and they do not look upon touch as something positive.

An incorrect touch can create wounds in the soul and on the body.

Many people are not touched as adults. That is not healthy. I believe that we must become better in touching each other in a wholesome way. I do know that we, as adults, have to be careful in touching a person of the opposite sex. I really ask God to teach us how to use this sense in a better way. It is meant for blessings.

THANK GOD FOR YOUR BODY AND FOR YOUR SENSES. HE HAS CREATED THEM AND THEY SHOULD BE USED FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT AND FOR BLESSING OTHERS.TO GOD BE THE HONOR!!!!!!!!!

Mother Else