When the body fades away...

Have you ever thought of yourself as a soul housed within a body? Surely, you have at least once pondered this uncommon outlook on human life. WELL EVERYBODY! Tonight (ahem... this morning) when I was reading the sixth chapter of Psalm, I had something close to a breakthrough. You see, for a long time I have struggled with a personal battle. A battle of me vs... well, me. Here is what the passage says:

O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger, or discipline me in your rage. Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak. Heal me, for my body is in agony. I am sick at heart. How long, O Lord, until you restore me? Return and rescue me. Save me, because of your unfailing love. For in death, who remembers you? Who can praise you from the grave? I am worn out from sobbing. Every night tears drench my bed; my pillow is wet from weeping. My vision is blurred by grief; my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies.

I cut it short a little bit, but only because it was at this point that a brand new thought occured to me. "My eyes are worn out because of all my enemies." It was there that I stopped, set my Bible down, and began to think. My enemies are not people. I believe that my enemies are the participants in that personal battle I was telling you about before. To me, I am never good enough. My body, my work, and even my attitude are constantly under strict criticism from MYSELF! I fail time and time again, and it is now that I see that the only way I will ever fix myself is through God. He can heal me, He can restore my weak body and set my heart straight. I don't want to fail anymore, but I know I will. IT IS ONLY THROUGH THE LORD THAT I WILL FIND STRENGTH AGAIN!

Thank you, Lord, for saving me despite my failures and weaknesses. Thank You for loving me and the rest of the sinful world unconditionally. Even while we are so often sucked in by evil things, You remain perfect and clean.

Join me, join God, and defeat your enemies so that when your body fades away, your spirit will still be strong. Think about it.