My office desk is adorned with a red poinsettia plant.

Yes, I know that most people associate poinsettias with the celebration of Christmas, and that Christmas was several months ago, but the festive plant remains a fixture in my cubicle. The plant was a gift from a co-worker who graciously purchased dozens of red poinsettias in December as a way to decorate our office.

After the New Year arrived, the poinsettias slowly disappeared. My co-workers, weary of looking at their wilting pointy leaves, replaced them with lilies, spider plants, and Boston ferns. When I saw my plant losing vitality, I lovingly nurtured it back to life by watering it and by keeping it close to the sun. I kept my plant not because it was a gift, but because it reminded me to savor things that seem useless, and later neglected.

Everything that God made is beautiful.

God created the earth, moon, stars, plants and vegetation. He created man in His image and in His likeness. I am a living symbol of Him on earth that represents His reign. When I neglect my body—like eating too much junk food, not getting enough sleep, or not drinking enough water, or exercise—my body will tell me. I’ll start to feel fatigued, develop pain in my joints, have digestive problems, or become ill.

Spiritually, I grow in grace and the knowledge of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). Physically, I nourish my body with nutrients that help form new blood cells, strengthen my immune system, and build my bones. As I grew older, my taste in food changed, but I still needed to fuel my body in order for my organs to function. Stress causes me to get distracted from my path to wellness, but I try to remain focused. I try not to become too critical of myself if I feel I’m not succeeding or my plan is worthless. If I fall off my fitness plan, I get back up and start over again.

I don’t neglect the gift God gave me – my body. I don’t compare myself with someone else. I am unique.

There are over 400,000 flowering plant species on the earth; each having their own characteristics. It’s wonderful to know that so many—and more—exist! Plants that produce flowers exist for the purpose of producing seeds and continuing their species. There are many beautiful things that God made, but man is the only creature that God made with the ability to talk to Him, pray to Him, cry to Him, and worship Him. I am a living soul. The reason God made me was to worship Him. In God’s eyes, I am special.