Daily Devotional – June 18

Anatomy

In the late 1800s, after Darwin proposed his theory of life’s slow evolutionary development, nearly 200 organs were considered “useless” – that is, unnecessary leftovers from our evolutionary past. The gallbladder was considered one of these “useless” leftovers. Does the gallbladder have a necessary function?

Recently, my husband had a terrible pain in his side. An ultra-sound test identified the cause of the pain to be gallstones blocking the exit duct from his gallbladder. The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ on the right side just beneath the liver. This human organ stores bile, which is made in the liver. One job of the gallbladder is to release this bile, into the small intestine as needed. This bile is used for the breakdown and absorption of fatty foods. If the gallbladder is removed, the bile oozes continually into the intestines. If an overly fatty meal is eaten, not enough bile will be released, causing incomplete digestion - resulting in gas, bloating, and diarrhea.

It is possible to adjust our diet such that we can function without the gallbladder, but it is far better to keep it. A person without a gallbladder needs to be a little more careful in the consumption of fatty food. But that hardly implies the organ is a worthless evolutionary leftover. Isn’t it interesting how our wise Creator God knew we would have problems with our deteriorating bodies and designed them to cope with a wide variety of dietary circumstances? God doesn’t make “useless” parts; the gallbladder is needed.

Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us,.…

~ Psalm 100:3

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.