Love My Body

As Jennifer is recovering from surgery, I have been exposed to more than I ever wanted to know about the human body. I am so thankful that there are people like Jennifer and my sister-in-law who are willing to go into the medical field and take care of the rest of us. I get quite squeamish about much of this. But this morning, in the hospital room, God reminded me of something He said. He said that husbands are to love their wives as they love their own bodies. The implication is that we would naturally protect and care for our own wellbeing and since Jennifer and I are “one flesh” in marriage, caring for her is caring for me too. Lest we think God wants us to use a selfish motivation to care for our wives, He said in the sentence before this that husbands are to give themselves up for their wives as Christ gave himself up for the Church (and this isn’t the brick building on the corner, but the people who make up the Church around the globe). He gave his body over at the cross to bear the pain and separation from God that our sin has brought. He died a horrible and painful death in our place. I believe God reminded me of this because in the coming weeks, I must be prepared to once again give myself up to care for Jennifer. I’m not too good at this normally. Selfishness and my agendas tend to distract me from her care. I couldn’t take her place in the operating room (I am lacking the uterus necessary for a hysterectomy) but I wish I could take her pain away. I don’t understand all that she needs medically, but I pray that I don’t fail to provide what she needs holistically. I pray she recovers and that I learn more about what it means to “love my own body” by caring for her. I pray my care for her won’t fall away after she recovers. I pray this simple circumstance can be used to teach me more about the mystery and wonder of what Christ did for us at the cross. Check out Ephesians in the Bible. The whole letter is worth a read.