Faded Body, Strengthened Soul

Faded Body, Strengthened Soul

The one thing I ask of the LORD—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock. Psalm 27:4-5

Like many young couples, Tony and Amanda enjoyed life—and maybe would admit that they enjoyed it a little too much. They regularly attended parties, and “just say no” was not in their vocabulary.

After years of partying, Amanda decided to cut back and stay home more. But Tony continued to go out with his buddies. Amanda assumed that Tony still used only alcohol and pot, like they had together. She didn’t know he had moved on to IV drug use that led to other risky behaviors.

It wasn’t until he started losing weight and developed bruise-like lesions on his skin that she suspected something was terribly wrong. When she finally convinced him to seek medical care, he was diagnosed with HIV. But by then, the disease had progressed too far for treatment, and Tony died soon after.

But that wasn’t the worst of it for Amanda. One week after Tony’s funeral, I gave her the sad news in my office: “You’ve HIV positive.”

Through tears, she said, “Dr. Anderson, what am I going to do? I don’t even know where I’m going to live. And what can I do with this death sentence hanging over me?”

“I know this is hard,” I said. “But now, more than ever, God wants you to lean on him. We’ll make some calls, and I’ll help get you connected at the local AIDS clinic. We can reach out to Social Security to see if you can get some financial help as well.”

For the next fifteen years, Amanda and I worked together to battle her disease and the complications that followed. Even as her body weakened, I could sense a growing strength in her soul. God had taken care of her, and she knew it.

One day she said to me, “I know that God is my rock. And though my body may wither, my soul will live forever in his sanctuary.”

TODAY’S RX

Even as our bodies fade, our souls can soar to new heights.

Lord, I echo today’s verse: My greatest desire is to live with you in your house all the days of my life. Thank you for giving me strength when I had none and hope when all else failed. I am grateful for how you’ve watched out for me.