Every part of the human body is a remarkable example of God’s handiwork, but the three-pound brain is the most marvelous part. Because the brain is so important, the Creator designed a fluid cushion around it and further protects it with a strong, one-quarter-inch-thick skull. Our brain is the most amazing of all the wonders of the world, and no one fully understands how it functions. Within its small space, it can hold more information than all the volumes of books in the largest library in the world.
Nearly every action of the body is connected with the brain. You cannot wiggle your toe until the nerve center in your brain sends out the right signal, nor can you read and understand this page without the brain’s amazing processing system. The brain is something like an electrical control center. Various parts of the body continually send information to the brain which makes the proper hookups. Then messages are sent to the brain cells responsible for that particular duty. From the two hundred million nerve fibers available, that section of the brain picks out the right ones to do whatever is required.
Suppose your eye is irritated by a speck of dust. Immediately the message is sent to the brain. The part of the brain that controls the eyes immediately takes over, sending electrical messages to the proper nerve fibers. These then send instructions to the tear glands of the eye to supply moisture for washing out the speck, and another message goes to the eyelids to blink when the tears flow.
How about when a plate of food is placed in front of you? Certain cells in your brain send a message to the eyes to focus on it. Another group of cells instructs you to pick up a knife and fork. Others tell your arm to carry the food to your mouth, and still others instruct your mouth to accept the food and chew it. There is no delay in this process, and you don’t even have to think about it.
All of the fifteen billion cells in your brain were already in place at the time of your birth. Each cell is constantly in touch with about one hundred others, and so all are interconnected to take care of every part of the body on an instant’s notice.
Only God could design all this equipment to fit into such a small space and arrange for its functioning throughout a person’s lifetime. We should be thanking Him for the wonderful and amazing way He has created each of us. The words of King David are good words for us to express too: “Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn Thy commandments” (Psalm 119:7373JOD. Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments. (Psalm 119:73)).
(to be continued)
ML-01/12/2003