As a parent, you probably suspected this already, but you and your children are living miracles. Some people think they’re not all that special and believe their lives don’t have much meaning. But that’s not true. You are pretty amazing, actually. You and your children are wonderfully made.
In fact, you are miracles. Remember that every time you interact. Communicate this wonder to your teenagers. Raise your children to appreciate how marvelous it is to be alive. Be a family leader in terms of shining a spotlight on the wonder of life. Here, just for starters, are 10 miraculous facts about the human body.
1. 100 trillion cells started with one.
Your body is made up of approximately 100 trillion cells. They all came from the division of one single cell. Every minute, 300 million cells die, but that’s really just a small fraction of the total cells we have. We produce 300 billion new cells every day and your body is constantly repairing and rebuilding.
2. Your brain is an amazing super-computer.
The brain is composed of 80 percent water. The brain can hold five times as much information as the Encyclopedia Britannica. Nerve impulses travel at 170 miles per hour. Oh, and it does all this on the same amount of power as a 10-watt light bulb.
3. Hair today…
Every day, the average person loses 60 to 100 strands of hair. But there’s good news: We have to lose over 50 percent of our scalp hairs before anyone notices. Also, hair is virtually indestructible. Aside from flammability, human hair decays at such a slow rate that it is practically non-disintegrative.
4. Your heart works its heart out for you.
The human heart creates enough pressure to squirt blood 30 feet. Such pressure is needed to pump blood through 60,000 miles of veins and capillaries. The heart pumps 6 quarts of blood, circulating three times every minute. In one day, your blood travels a total of 12,000 miles.
5. Your skin is the ultimate touch screen.
Each square inch of your skin includes four yards of nerve fibers, 600 pain sensors, 1300 nerve cells, 9000 nerve endings, 36 heat sensors, 75 pressure sensors, 100 sweat glands, 3 million cells, and 3 yards of blood vessels.
6. Your eyes alone are a study in genius.
Our eyes can distinguish up to one million color surfaces and take in more information than the largest existing telescope. People blink once every four seconds. That’s because eyelashes act as windshield wipers, keeping dust and grime from getting into the eye itself.
7. The liver is a hardworking organ.
Your liver works hard at over 400 functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and the production of biochemicals necessary for digestion. However, you could have two-thirds of your liver removed from trauma or surgery, and it would grow back to its original size in four weeks.
8. Take a deep breath.
Your lungs have a surface area the size of a tennis court. To oxygenate blood, our lungs are filled with thousands of microscopic capillaries. The large surface area makes it easier for this to take place and to get the oxygen where it needs to go.
9. You have a disposable stomach lining.
Your stomach gets a brand new lining every four days. Strong digestive acids quickly dissolve the mucus-like cells lining the walls of the stomach. So your body replaces them, routinely, before they are compromised.
10. You can’t hide from your fingerprints.
Your fingerprints are your own unique bar code indicating the true miracle you are.Just three months into a pregnancy, an unborn child already has fingerprints. At just 6 to 13 weeks of development, the distinctive whorls have already developed. Interestingly, those fingerprints will never change throughout a person’s life. And your fingerprints are your own unique bar code indicating the true miracle you are.
Sound off: What is one way your body has been healed in your life?
Huddle up with your kids and ask, “What do you think is the most amazing thing about our bodies?”