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China, Faith, Personality

Feet, window to the body?

A new foot massage place opened near my friend’s home. She was given two coupons for a cheap foot massage, was I interested? She knew it was a rhetorical question. We both like foot massages, but for different reasons.

For her, it is an exercise in relaxation. For me, a foot massage is an opportunity to be told things about my organs, a subject I at times, oddly, border on being obsessively interested in. Though opinions on reflexology vary, I am in the camp that believes our bodies are intricately linked systems. Why wouldn’t areas on our feet be linked to the liver, neck, or stomach? Foot massage is a fun and relatively cheap way to find out the status of my insides.

In a classic example of “if you pray for rain, be prepared to deal with some mud,” I met my match. I didn’t think there was anyone more interested in my organs than me. I was wrong.

Mr. Hou is clearly a firm believer in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) and as the massage went on, pointed out many things wrong with my health; all of which can be helped by regular foot massage. We started off with the surprising news that something’s up with my ovaries.

It turns out we were the only customers that afternoon. As the staff walked by, they’d stop in and ask if we spoke Chinese, where we were from, and how long we’d been in China. All standard questions. At one point it was a little surreal to be discussing the urinary tract of my friend with five strangers!

Her Chinese is much better than mine (I don’t really know my organ vocabulary as well as I should, given my interest), so after the crowd left she translated that I also have a “poop and pee” problem. This was news to me. My stomach is clearly bad and how do I live with such dry skin?  Thankfully it wasn’t all bad news. I would now be sleeping better after he solved my sleeping problems. (I had, indeed, not been sleeping well). I learned that by pressing 100 times a day on the outside of the leg, my legs will become thinner.

I don’t really think I have serious problems with all of the areas Mr Hou listed. Is something going on? Maybe. Or, as my Doubting Thomas Foot Massage friend says, “It hurts because someone is pushing really hard on you!” Either way, I, like David was reminded to “praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” Psalm 139:14 (ESV)

My soul knows it well.

I don’t know if a pressure point on the bottom of my foot corresponds to my soul, but I do know that even in a foot massage the wonderful work of God is present, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

In what ways do you see God reflected in your body today? Leave a comment and let’s see how many organs we list.

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8 Comments March 10, 2012

About Amy

My name is Amy and I live in the messy middle of life. I have been Redeemed from permanent muck and live with the tension of the Already and Not Yet.

Comments

  1. Kim says

    March 10, 2012 at 7:04 am

    Today I want to give my lips, may they speak praises for all He is doing, has done and the many blessings He sends my way. Instead of a complaint, my lips will speak thankful words. Like thank-you for the availability of buses here in China! I also think of this one: “Thank-you for my western toilet!” I often find myself in the negative grumbling mind set and I desire to change this one comment at a time!
    Thank-you so much for sharing from your heart with us!

    Reply
    • Amy says

      March 10, 2012 at 7:06 am

      I love it! A shout out for the lips and a good reminder for us all. Thanks Kim!

      Reply
  2. Melanie Wilson says

    March 10, 2012 at 8:19 am

    My whole upper body. My husband has us all doing 100 pushups a day, and while I had some soreness at first, I am marveling at how incredibly adaptive God has made us–so that we keep getting stronger when challenged! I hope your massage was at least relaxing for you!

    Reply
    • Amy says

      March 10, 2012 at 10:50 am

      100 pushups! But, as you point out, God has given us amazingly resilient bodies that respond when we train them. I do enjoy the massages — but they’re not that relaxing =)

      Reply
  3. Gayle Wilson says

    March 10, 2012 at 9:56 am

    Maybe not related, but at the end of yoga, during the “corpse pose”, I feel quite worshipful. And so relaxed I occasionally doze off on the hard floor.

    Reply
    • Amy says

      March 10, 2012 at 10:51 am

      Oh I love that feeling too! Laying on the ground after a “hard” class.

      Reply
  4. Loren Pinilis says

    March 10, 2012 at 11:18 pm

    The human body is just an amazing thing. I’ve always said that medicine isn’t a science – it’s an art. The human body is so robust, yet so fragile.
    I personally could never get a foot massage – I’m *ridiculously* ticklish. :)

    Reply
    • Amy says

      March 11, 2012 at 8:46 am

      Robust yet fragile … great summary! You *might* be able to get one because it’s not light gentle rubbing! But you might not :)!

      Reply

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