Hi ,
How many things in life do we take for granted each day? If we would stop to count them, we would be amazed. For example, we expect that when we turn on a faucet, water will come
out. Or when we flip a switch, whatever is supposed to happen, happens. It's the same with our bodies. We assume that the thousands of complex systems operating constantly will keep doing so - and we don't even think about it. Your heart and your diaphragm, for example, keep operating even when you sleep, though many other systems go into dormancy. It's automatic!
One of the systems that so amazes me is the incredibly complex thing called the "blood clotting cascade". Most people aren't even aware of this impossibly complex system. I've researched it deeply, and there is absolutely no way I can communicate this mechanism to you. It's been likened to the most bizarre Rube Goldberg machine.
But, to simplify the issue, think about this: You get a simple cut on your arm. It bleeds. Why don't you die? There's a hole in your system, and you should keep bleeding until all of your blood has been pumped out! But, you know that doesn't happen in most people. A clot develops. How?! Why?! And, once the clot starts building itself, why doesn't it stop? Why doesn't the process continue until all of your blood has coagulated, and then
you die? How does the clot know how big to get to plug up the specific size wound it's plugging, and then stop building itself?!
This represents an impossibly complex system involving so many strange steps that it's called a cascade. Sometimes it's called a stairway. The "scary" thing is that if even one step,
just one part, of the astounding sequence is missing, broken, or out of place - you're either dead or you have a medical condition that needs specific attention - like a blood transfusion! When Psalm 139:14 refers to our bodies as being "fearfully and wonderfully made", this gives us a small glimpse into the meaning of that verse!
As a humorous way to illustrate the complexity, click on the button below for a classic Rube Goldberg machine. The blood clotting cascade has been likened to this! Incredible!!
