A Prayer for Bodies

For the bodies we have and not the bodies we want

Each week, after I write the main post, a few days later, I send an accompanying prayer related to the topic. I am doing in this in part for me: I always am on the hunt for more written prayers. I use written prayers often in my work to pray for larger groups, but I also love written prayers for my personal piety. Sometimes it is nice when I do not have the words to use someone else’s.

The below prayer is in response to my post on bodies.

God,

You have a body. You decided to take human form. You gave us bodies, and you declared them good. So why do we have such a hard time with them?

We complain about how we are too pale or too blotchy, too flabby or too large, too short or too gangly, too much this or not enough that.

But these bodies of ours allow us to experience this incredible earth and one another. They house the senses that bring us closer to one another. We can taste snowflakes and fresh rainfall, hear the crackle of gravel beneath our feet, see how the dappled sunlight moves over the tree canopies, feel the weight of someone’s arms as they hug us tight and make us feel known, loved, and secure, catch a whiff of the distinctive smells of our childhood, which transports us back home, for a fleeting moment. We may lose the sharpness of these senses over time, or we may not have all of them, but they provide glimpses into the complexity and multi-layeredness of this universe. Our bodies do all of this.

Our bodies are good, whether or not we believe it.

We may not say it often enough…or ever…but thank you for these bodies.

Amen.