Why Stretch?

Earlier this year, the leader of one of the ministry trainings that I participated in began by saying that those of us who were there were going to be (in no uncertain terms) stretched. There are many ways in which we can be stretched. Some people stretch physically as a means of exercise, discipline, and gaining a command of the body. Some people stretch mentally as a means to broaden their capacity to think more broadly. Some people stretch spiritually as a means to a greater connection with God.

Our pastor over this ministry training insisted that the stretching was essential for us so that we might grow to understand, be empowered to do, and be encouraged in the face of fear. Abraham is known as the father of faith. This is attributed to him because he was the first in his line to walk by faith as instructed by God to the place God showed him and established what God spoke.

In one respect, stretching is meant to keep us flexible or pliable. Resistance to stretching can often result in breaking. You’ll note that things that must be pliable or have some stretch to them are things like a fishing net, a wine skin, or a rubber band. If they do not stretch or have some elasticity, they become brittle, crack, or break and are then useless. Physically, our bodies are made the same way and need elasticity to be able to handle the strains and pressure that it goes under from day to day.

In life, there are times that require us to be stretched so that we remain useful to God. As we are stretched, we make space to be open for more. In other words, when we resist or are inflexible, we shut off possibilities and opportunities. What might have been the story of Nicodemus’ life had he allowed himself to be stretched by the truths of Jesus’ teachings? Who else from the religious class might have become receptive and less likely to have been among the accusers that brought Jesus to the Romans for judgment?

It is when we allow ourselves to be stretched that we enable ourselves to become able to shift and move with more ease when changes come faster. An athlete that does the proper stretching before exercising or performing in an event enables themselves to adjust their movements more quickly. There’s a thing known as muscle memory which the body has when it performs certain movements with discipline and a degree of regularity.

When we condition our faith through stretching, we become more trusting of God’s leading and of the certainty of our hearing Him when He says do this or that. Our response time becomes faster and has a level of anticipation. It’s like we’re seeing faster. The reaction time gets swifter.

Where is God trying to stretch you? I admit that stretching doesn’t feel good in the beginning because the longer you go without it, you become stiff. However, the more you allow for the stretching, the more you look forward to it and even start to recognize when you’ve perhaps gone too long without it. You may even come to a place of looking forward to it because you understand the benefits of it.

I have to admit that I am grateful for the stretching that I went through this year because the flexing got me out of a rut. It energized me in a way I hadn’t even known that I needed. It reminded me of the commitments that I had made earlier in my life and challenged me to see how much more willing and able I was to be stretched. I’m anticipating other opportunities because of the stretching that I received. So, if you’re feeling that you’re in a place where God is calling you to be stretched, don’t resist. Yield to the stretching. You’re bound to be stronger, wiser, more agile, and better than you were when you had not previously been stretched. Go ahead and accept the stretching.