Plastic! Plastic! And more plastic! It’s everywhere and in everything; even in us. Have you ever heard of microplastics? They are tiny plastic particles which break down into tinier particles called nanoplastics. When exposed to these particles, our body’s cells and tissues can absorb them.
How do we absorb plastic? Not by touching it, so don’t worry. However, a 2023 study concluded that we do absorb it when ingesting food kept in plastic which has broken down through heating or storage.1 I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not absorb plastic.
ARE WE ABSORBING ANYTHING ELSE?
What about our thoughts? Like our body can absorb heated or stored plastics our minds can absorb heated or stored thoughts. When we are exposed to things we see and hear, we either ignore them or store them in our thoughts. What kind of thoughts do we store? Hopefully, positive thoughts. However, it depends upon what we are exposed to.
HEAT!
Have you ever stuck a plastic container in the microwave to heat food? As we smell the delicious aroma released by heating, something else is being released as well: microplastics! In that same 2023 study researchers found that microwave heating causes the breakdown and highest release of plastics.
“It was found that some containers could release as many as 4.22 million microplastic and 2.11
billion nanoplastic particles from only one square centimeter of plastic area within 3 min of microwave heating.” 1
Like plastic melts at high heat, we have our own melt downs. How about those heated conversations? One person lashes out and the next thing we know, the other person lashes back. As heated words are exchanged, both parties absorb them into their hearts and minds.
What else heats up our lives? Stress! When the heat is on, we absorb unhealthy thoughts such as fear, failure, inadequacy or hopelessness. At the same time, what leaks into our bodies? Excess acid causing digestive issues or increased cortisol levels resulting in high blood pressure, fatigue, weight gain and more.2
STORAGE!
What did that 2023 study conclude about storage? “Refrigeration and room-temperature storage for over six months can also release millions to billions of microplastics and nanoplastics.”1 Well, there goes my plastic storage containers!
What are our minds storing?
It may take six months for stored food to absorb plastic, but thoughts we dwell on are stored and absorbed more rapidly. What unhealthy thoughts do we store? How about those unforgiving thoughts or resentments we can’t seem to forget? Or the words said in heated conversations making us feel unloved or rejected?
Don’t forget what we drink!
Drinking water may be good for our health, yet drinking bottled water includes plastics. Researchers found that, on average, a liter of bottled water included about 240,000 tiny pieces of plastic.3
What else do we drink? Daily our eyes drink in what we see which hopefully is lots of joy, love and laughter. But just like our bottled water mixes the good with the bad, our eyes also drink in violence, deception, greed and hatred.
HOW CAN WE PROTECT OURSELVES?
Replace the plastic!
What do we replace plastic with? Whether heating or storing food, the best materials for kitchen use in lieu of plastic are glass, stainless steel, ceramics and wood.4 Using less plastic is not just good for us, it’s good for the environment.
How about our thoughts?
Replace the thoughts!
Just as replacing plastic protects us, replacing our thoughts with God’s Word protects us. It is the perfect material for storing! Because it’s loving and true, it helps us avoid storing up rejection, fears and resentments.
I have stored what you have said in my heart,
so I won’t sin against you,
Psalm 119:11 ISV
God’s Word also helps us when the heat is on.
It keeps us focused on Jesus and gives us the faith to rely on Him in stressful times.
You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You,
Isaiah 26:3
When in faith we follow Jesus’ direction, we will feel less stressed no matter how heated the environment.
Just like less plastic creates a better environment, less negative thoughts create a better environment for us.
DON’T WORRY!
It’s easy to ingest fear as we think of all the plastic our bodies absorb. There is a lot of frightening, unsubstantiated information out there about it. Don’t panic. In 2024, the National Institute of Health reported “the potential health effects of these tiny plastic bits are still unproven and unknown.”3 MD Anderson concurred in a July 2025 article that such studies are still in their early stages.5
If concerned about what you are absorbing, do your own research. Like we go directly to the Word of God to confirm things we hear, go directly to published studies to learn what to do.
Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.
Therefore, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves,
Matthew 10:16
REFLECTION
What are you absorbing?
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, as I write Psalm 119:11 and say it aloud, help me recognize and avoid absorbing negative thoughts. Guide me to replace them with Your Word stored in my heart. In Jesus name. Amen.
IN FAITH ABSORB GOD’S WORD
Comment!
________________________________________________________________________________________________
*For information on making Jesus Christ your Savior, email me or visit, http://www.peacewithgod.net/
1 2023 study published in the Journal of Environmental Science & Technology
2 10 Warning Signs Your Cortisol Levels Might Be Too High
3 Plastic particles in bottled water | National Institutes of Health (NIH)
4 Plastic Kitchen Items You Should Get Rid Of And What To Replace Them With
5 Understanding microplastics: Exposure, health and prevention | MD Anderson Cancer Center
