welcome to this short poetic essay series on SOMA

SOMA (n.) is defined as the parts of the body as distinct from the soul, mind, or psyche.

in this series we will explore the body:
how we speak to our bodies,
how we treat our bodies,
how we see our bodies, and
how we use our bodies

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in this piece i write a letter to my body
a journey of acceptance and apology, forgiveness and gratitude

how we treat our bodies reveals a lot about what we believe about our bodies,
what we believe about our created form, what we believe of creation and creator

dear body,

i am sorry

for treating you
with injustice

i am sorry

for choosing
pain over pleasure

i am sorry

for seeing you
in black and white:

ugly or beautiful
fat or thin

i am sorry

for all the things
i have said to you
in my mind

for all the things
i have held on to
in my heart

to destroy you
to devalue you

i am sorry, dear body

for not treating you
like a temple

for turning
against you

please forgive me

for the wounds
i have inflicted
and harboured

please forgive me

for all the things
i have done and
not done to you

for all the things
i have allowed
to happen to you

i am sorry

for all the guilt
and shame
i have carried
instead of
letting you live
in the fullness of
grace and life
truth and freedom
hope and love

dear body

hold onto this

whatever is true
whatever is honourable
whatever is just
whatever is pure
whatever is lovely
whatever is commendable

hold onto this

if there is any excellence
is there is anything
worthy of praise

hold onto this

think about this
dwell on this

hold onto this

(phil. 4:8)

“you were bought with a price”
(1 Cor. 6:20, 7:23)

precious
valuable

there was a cost
to purchase us
our whole self
including our body

“you are not your own”
(1 Cor. 6:19)

our bodies
do not belong to us

so how we treat our bodies
is how we treat our maker

how we belong to our body
reveals what we believe
about belonging

do we believe
we belong to our maker?

or to ourselves?
to our world?
to our desires?

our bodies do not own us
nor do we own our bodies

our maker has made us
and our bodies for himself