August 17, 2012

S~T~R~E~T~C~H

“Patience is more than endurance. A saint's life is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see, and He stretches and strains, and every now and again the saint says--'I cannot stand anymore.' God does not heed, He goes on stretching till His purpose is in sight, then He lets fly. Trust yourself in God's hands. Maintain your relationship to Jesus Christ by the patience of faith. 'Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.”




PHOTO SOURCE


Why do felines stretch?

I found a very good answer to this question here:

 "Cats are hunters of opportunity and so anytime they wake up from sleeping, they stretch so they are immediately ready to hunt. If you watch slow motion film of large cats running, you will see that they don't just kick their legs forward to run, they also flex their backs a lot and so they run with their legs but they also run with their backs. You gotta stretch it all if you want it all to work on a moment's notice."

For a time during my short indisposition due to mild stroke, I was coached to regain flexibility through therapy.  It was easier to do with the help of a PT practitioner within the confines of a hospital rehabilitation center.  You get energetic push and you oblige.
 
I regained back my steps in just a week and was fully walking on my own in less than two weeks.

There is also a good advice for us to stretch just enough everyday to make our bodies attuned and  retain flexibility.  Most animals do there stretching preludes to bolt into action as soon as a hunt is at hand or for flight when there is a predator.  Why don't humans  copy this instinct so that one is always ready for anything?  I am a sore member in this club too.

Anyway, back to my stretching.

After a while, I was slackening, not doing my necessary flexibility regimen.  And then I noticed that I could no longer button up or zip up without the pain of reaching too far back.  This jolted me to go back to stretching little by little until the pain went away and I could dress without assistance.


What about character stretch?

Yes, this is an area that God supervises so diligently.  Until He gets the response and see the purpose he designs for us, He goes on to stretch us.  Just like what Mr. Oswald Chambers quoted and pinned right on target above.

S~T~R~E~T~C~H!

Just enough so.  And after the character muscle toning, it becomes easier for us to flex along the area.

Then God goes again to S~T~R~E~T~C~H us on another rung up.  Time to level up, Lord!

But mostly, just like how I became complacent with my exercises,  it is always easy to fall back and Jesus needs to rescue us over and over again.

This reminds me of Peter walking on water with Jesus.  It was alright for a while but the things of earth sharpened again blurring His sight upon Jesus.  He sank and Jesus had to rescue him.


King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.) Matthew 14:31
And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

While contemplating in this thought, there is clarity in the image I am seeing.  My little faith (mustard seed sized) is stretched just enough (according to my capability).  It is God stretching (99.9%) out to me and for me, to fill in for my own feeble investment.   I know that I can't produce the fruits with my own work but by His spirit.

Thank you God that we are being stretched by a God who is after our welfare and who loves us so much that we get just enough every time and benefit by it.  And I am so grateful, Father, that you are always in the lookout especially in times that we need to be rescued.  We trust in you, God.  Amen.

I wonder how much stretching does God have to make to launch me to flight?






I am linking this post to Pam's of Writing Applies of Gold.  She wrote about Stretch in response to the word prompt in community with Lisa-Jo Baker's 5Minute Friday.




HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND, EVERYONE!
AND A BLESSED SUNDAY!

17 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for this God's inspired teaching Sis Lolita. Bless your heart.

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    1. Good bless your heart too, Joy.

      And thanks for coming.

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  2. Hi Lolita!

    What an interesting analogy of stretching our character muscles and then them being freed up to stretch further. Thanks.

    Regarding your comment on my post "How to Melt an Angry Heart,"
    what an great honest hint about your testimony! I would love to hear more of your story. Isn't he a tender and compassionate God?!

    Jennifer Dougan
    www.jenniferdougan.com

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    1. Thank you, Jen.

      I always love to read from your blog, it brings me to greater heights with our Lord.

      Yes, He is a tender compassionate God.

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  3. That theme gave you a beautiful analogy to share, Lolita! So many different ideas came from that one prompt the other day. Thanks for the encouraging words!

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    1. Yes, perhaps Pam, I will make it a point to go to 5 Minute Fridays earlier so that I can write something about the word prompts given there.

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    2. I think you could always write them a day or two late...then just link them up when you finish. She wants us to just write for five minutes straight and not worry about making corrections etc, then just stop when five minutes is up. So it goes pretty quickly... :) It just took me a little longer to find the photos, but otherwise it was pretty quick.

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  4. I love Oswald Chambers. My Utmost for His Highest has been my devotional for almost 30 years. I love what his quote sparked in you, Precious Lolita!

    Beautiful. Stretching is needful in our physical bodies and in our spiritual lives. Great word!

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    1. Thanks, D.

      I missed you all. We had a long weekend holidays. I had no connection.

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  5. Love your thoughts on the word stretch. I like the analogy of the cat stretching every part of his body for readiness. I've missed you. Just checking in to see if all is well.

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    1. Oh, Shelly. Thanks for your concern. There is this thing with our internet here in our office.

      Thanks for coming. I was not also around a bit because of the long weekend.

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  6. This reminds me of St. Lawrence who was stretched on a rack and roasted because he did not give the gold of the church to the Emperor but instead sold it and gave it to the poor. Thank goodness we don't have to prove our faithfulness to God in this way! Patsy

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    1. Amen, Patsy. God does not put us into something that is greater than what we are capable of and that is not common to men.

      Thanks.

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  7. Stretching the strings every time I tune my guitars is the only way to get the tone right! I love the quote you shared & the spiritual lesson God gave you when Peter was sinking and Jesus was quick to reach out and save him! Of how His right arm is quick to reach out to help us out at times of distress! It is indeed His power that pushes us beyond our limits! May His strength always be yours!

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    1. And yours too, Rosel. I know how challenging your work is. Every moment is something you have to be prepared on.

      Thanks for leaving some encouragement.

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  8. Lolita, I know I feel so much better when I do my stretches daily but sometimes I let a week or two go by and then my muscles scream at me when I have to use them. They say it is the stretching the muscle just a little beyond it's limit is what builds muscle. So it is with our charecter...God stretches us to build our spiritual muscles. Good post my friend. Blessings

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    1. Thank you, dear Betty. I always get so much comfort in hearing from my courageous friend.

      Blessings and let us continue to stretch in physique as well as in character, with God.

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Thanks for your company. I am glad you are here. Your encouraging word is appreciated. It brings joy like a cool breeze on a hot day. GBU!