A Blessing for the Body

Friends, as we are waking up from our long winter’s nap, stretching out our stiff joints, and walking under our occasionally sunny skies, here these words:

Blessed is the body that offers soft hugs on hard days.

Whose curves fit our pets and our kids and our

partners. Whose hands hold another alongside

hospital beds and in nursing homes and at the altar

and on the first day of school. Whose breasts nurse and 

legs run to chase littles and whose toes balance us on

the earth. Whose wrinkles tell stories of laughs and 

tears and worries.

Blessed are these imperfect, fragile bodies. This flesh

and bone. These cells that sometimes duplicate for no

reason whatsoever. This skin that is stitched together 

with scars and stretch marks and fine lines.

Bless is the body because it is a home. Not just for

us, but for those who love us. And sometimes you just 

need to stand in front of ht mirror and take off all

your clothes, and remember that this body, your body,

is God’s home address.

(From Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie, Good Enough: 40ish Devotionals for a Life of Imperfection, p. 159).

Friends, as you go about your work today, consider the truth that when God made it all and declared it to be very good, that our bodies with all their imperfections were included in that “very good” category. Have some grace on your body today, for it is part of God’s beloved creation.

Blessings,

Pastor Amy