I’ve been given a lot of blessings in my life. One of the greatest (outside of my fabulous wife and way cool kids) was to travel to Costa Rica on 3 different occasions. I’ve been to several different countries, though am no world traveler, but there is something about this country that I just love. My first trip there I knew I would never be the same. I haven’t been back in nearly 3 years now and whenever I think of my trip I smile and think of my Tico Friends.
On my first trip down, I got to know a church member that I hadn’t known very well prior to the trip. It didn’t take long for me to really enjoy Bill and all that he brought to our team – energy, experience, strength, resolve and tireless approach to the task. He shared stories with me about his days in the military and as a policeman, meeting his bride and raising his kids. One morning, we were waiting for our marching orders and I mentioned that my back was really tight. Bill looked at me and said it’s because I’m not stretching enough. He said, “Jim, you got stretch all the time, it’ll keep you loose and it’ll keep you able to handle the pressure and stress of your day a whole lot better.” I watched Bill the rest of the week and the dude rarely stopped stretching. We’d have a lull in the work load and he’s stretching. We’d finish worship and he’s stretching. And when we were working, he was doing things that the younger guys just couldn’t do.
As important as stretching is for our bodies, it’s also really important for our minds and for our spirits. I’ve had an amazing couple of months that have included a ton of mind and spirit stretches. I can’t pinpoint a whole lot of those huge shifts that have been mind blowing, but I have noticed that I don’t tire nearly as quickly as I did just a short time ago. I’ve learned a lot about myself and about how I handle the stressors of life. I’ve also been challenged to move forward on some things – things that I hope will become a huge part of moving forward in life and in ministry.
Part of this stretching has been to ask the question: Where do I want this to go, or Where is God calling me to take this? In part this stretching is evaluating my vision for myself and what God has called me to do. When was the last time you stretched your mind and spirit by asking God where you’re going? What are the things, ideas, plans that we feel God is asking us to push us toward?
I realized something else about stretching with my friend Bill – if you’re not used to it even stretching can hurt. Muscles that aren’t used to be flexed rebel really quickly. They do this until they re-understand their role. Stretching our minds and spirits to hear from God can be difficult and frustrating to start out with. Asking big questions like “God what are you wanting of me” can be irritating. God so rarely speaks audibly but often that’s how I expect God to respond to my questioning – audibly. Sometimes the stretching my soul needs is to quiet myself so I can start hearing the quiet whispers of God’s prompting (I’ll refer back to Elijah and his mountain stretching at this point – 2 Kings 2).
In the next few weeks we’ll be doing some specific stretching as the Antioch Community – I look forward to the Stretch and to what God will be showing us. Please know, I’m praying for you as you stretch and I can’t wait to see how God whispers to you!