Reach back and feel your spine. It’s a set of 33 pokey bones. They help you stand up straight. But they also protect a hidden treasure: a long bundle of nerve cells called the spinal cord. The spinal cord is connected to nerves in every other part of the body.

God made our brains and spinal cords to work as a team—and also like a telephone. “Here’s what’s going on in the body,” the spinal cord tells the brain. “Here’s a message for the body,” the brain tells the spinal cord. “Here’s a message from the brain!” says the spinal cord to other parts of the body. Together, the brain and spinal column make up the body’s central nervous system. Where would you be without this dream team? You couldn’t think. You couldn’t feel. You couldn’t breathe or move.

When Mr. Chinnock got injured, his brain and part of his spine stopped talking to each other. His brain said, “Get moving, legs!” That message should have travelled through the spinal cord. But the damaged nerves in the spine couldn’t pass the message along to Mr. Chinnock’s leg muscles. When people have spinal cord injuries, they can become paralyzed—unable to move a certain area of the body.

Scientists work hard to bring healing to spinal injuries. They spend years developing ideas that might help, and patients work hard in therapy to learn to use their legs again. Do you remember Jesus healing someone paralyzed? It didn’t take him years or even weeks. It took only a moment! A paralyzed man walked again when Jesus said, “Rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” (Mark 2:11)