Body Damage - Serenity Prayer

Your body may be damaged beyond its reparative capabilities. While this may seem obvious, many New Age people believe that you can always correct such damage ("Ask and you shall receive"). Damage can be caused, of course, by accident, genetics, or wear and tear.

For example, an elderly relative of mine had joint degeneration severe enough so that movement itself caused further damage. She was concerned about her weight. I told her that were I in her shoes I might choose to do nothing about her weight, because I thought her body chemistry was so badly messed up by her lack of exercise that weight loss may have become virtually impossible. She did not choose to make a major effort at losing weight, though she continued to "watch her weight" as so many of us do.

So, how do you decide what body damage is hopeless and what might be changed? The addict's Serenity Prayer points out the core issue: "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference." If there is a strong drive to change something most would consider irreparable, then I do suggest following that drive for a while. However, being bullheaded for years without significant progress probably indicates that wisdom is lacking.