I visited my primary physician this week. I am blessed to have a doctor who listens and takes the time to respond to all my questions and concerns. She is a delight and I know she has my back … she has told me that on multiple occasions. She will also be completely honest with me – even when it is difficult to hear what she has to say.
At one point in my recent visit I asked a question about the cause/correlation of these auto-immune diseases and if a particular surgery done about a year before they developed was the reason behind them. I said, “did I do this to myself?”
She smiled, looked at me, and said “you can put that guilt aside right now! Even if there is a correlation, you did not know, and you need to give yourself more grace and love!”
I left with the reminder that the Spirit of the Living God abides in me … that means I am a temple of the Living LORD and I need to love this house wherein the LORD dwells.
In Psalm 26, a prayer for vindication, David tells the LORD how much he loves the house where God’s glory resides. “Lord, I love the house where You dwell, the place where Your glory resides.” [Psalm 26:8 HCSB]
David was looking at a temporal dwelling place, built with earthly materials that would eventually deteriorate. But we have a different house … an eternal one where the LORD God Almighty dwells in the power and presence of His Holy Spirit.
We need to love ourselves with the same love with which God loves us. Not always easy, but I got a gentle reminder this week that it is abundantly necessary.