[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 10/October/2021]
The Magazine “Balance” produced by Diabetes UK recently contained a fascinating article about the way the body works.
Diabetes is due to a lack of insulin, which the body normally produces in order to convert sugar into energy. Insulin is produced by the beta cells in the pancreas, but sometimes these cells are mistakenly destroyed by the immune system (Type 1 diabetes) or they are unable to produce enough insulin to control blood sugar levels properly (Type 2).
The article explains that there are different types of beta cells: mature beta cells which produce high levels of insulin and immature cells which produce very little insulin. Previously the immature cells were considered to be of little importance. New research has shown, however, that if you increase the proportion of mature beta cells you actually reduce the amount of insulin produced. When the natural balance between the mature and immature cells is restored, insulin release returns to healthy levels.
Thus the research shows that the seemingly unimportant immature beta cells actually have a vital role to play, as they cooperate with the mature beta cells to produce the right amount of insulin. The body needs both types of cells in order to do its work properly.
St Paul said something similar in 1 Corinthians 12 v 21, 22, 27: “The eye cannot say to the hand ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet ‘I don’t need you!’ On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable … Now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it.”
(References to article in Balance Summer 2021 used with permission)
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Contributed by Helen Ruffhead; © the Author
