this analogy is going to be a stretch (haha - pun very intended - you'll see in a minute).
like most of us that attended college. i like to throw out weird crazy academic terms every once in a while for two reasons:
1) i love getting funny looks and,
2) its nice to remind myself that I actually graduated from college and did aquire some knowledge at some point
somewhere during my academic career I was introduced to this term: proprioreceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching. sounds like fun, huh? and since I played college soccer, I also had the opportunity to experience this form of stretching with a trainer firsthand. it actually came in very handy as I am probably the least flexible person on earth.
but back to the point. wikipedia defines pnf stretching like this: " generally an active pnf stretch involves a shortening contraction of the opposing muscle to place the target muscle on stretch, this is followed by an isometric contraction of the target muscle." whaaaaaa????? i'll try to put it in lay terms.
basically, if you want to give your weary hamstring a good ole stretch, you would lay on your back and put one legstraight up in the air. you would then have someone help you push your leg back towards your body (knee towards your nose) as far as you could stretch and hold it for 10-20 seconds. after 20 or so seconds, you would contract your hamstring and push against the person with your leg, using that same muscle group. after pushing against them for 10 seconds, you then relax the muscle and they continue to stretch your leg towards your body. sounds like fun, huh? what's cool is, the second time they push, you then miraculously find that you can stretch further than the first. clear as mud?
well, i am going to attempt to relate this pnf stretching technique to the life of a Christ-follower. it made sense to me. i was hoping it may makes sense to someone else, even if it is just one or two kinesiology geeks out there.
as Christians, when we walk in obedience to God's commands, and carry out His love, sometimes, uh, no, all the time, it stretches us. it stretches our faith, our family, our budget, our endurance, our patience, everything. and often, just when we feel like we're about to snap, he asks us to push just a little harder. give a little more, push a little further, spend a little more time, have one more kid, wait a little longer. and then when he knows the time is right, he asks us to relax, and rest. and the funny thing is, the next time, we are further than we were before.
i have experienced this first hand being a parent and then foster parent. we have 3 biological children. at some point after each child was born, I thought, "how in the world could I ever handle more?" and then when our "quiver was full" with 3, God led us to become foster parents. there was some serious doubt involved in this request, as there were days where I was asking God, "are you crazy? I can't even handle the 3 I've got!!!!" but every time God moved me forward, encouraging me and reminding me that he would provide.
we just finished our first foster placement where we had a child in our home for 4 months. it was very difficult at times. i was definitely beyond my own limits there were days where i thought i would snap. but the funny thing is that i have never felt God's presence so near. and it was like he was holding me, stretching me, encouraging me the whole time. and all of a sudden, she was gone from our home. and we are able to look back and see the tremendous amount of growth that took place. its amazing what God can do when we put our lives in his hands.
the scary thing is, now that we are in a season of rest, we know the next time we will be pushed further. scary, or exciting? yes. and i am so glad because i want to be able to look back at my life and see adventure, not predictability. i want to see springs of living water, not a stagnant muck. Lord knows i don't want to stay the same. i want to be stretched and grow stronger, and grow to be more like HIM.
