Stretch

Mark 3:5b - He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.

A couple of years ago, I was compelled to participate in a Spartan Race. For those of you have never heard of it, a Spartan Race requires more than just running. It is a series of obstacles you must complete at each stopping point in order to proceed further in the race. I had been training for the race for some time, so I thought.."What have I got to lose?" It was on my bucket list and I knew I had to try it.

One of the obstacles was a 9 foot wall. The only thing you could use to get up and over this wall was a fellow teammate's helping hands. They were allowed to hoist you up, but then you had to get over the wall in your own strength. Hopefully there would be another teammate on the other side to help you down. My dear, sweet husband who insisted on joining me in the race was right there ready to hoist me up. I looked up at that wall and thought there was no way I was getting over that wall. It was only 9 feet high, but it looked like Mount Everest to me. Much to my surprise, I was hoisted all the way up to the top. When I got to the top I realized I had a problem of a different kind. I could not stretch my leg over the top of the wall. I have never been very limber and now I wish I had done more stretching in the weeks and days leading up to the race. Stretching can feel good after a workout, but serious stretching that leads to being more limber can be painful and is time consuming. Little did I know just how important stretching was for my success in the race. Sometimes it's just easier to get used to and accept our limitations as normal.

Uncomfortable, and slightly intimidated, I had a choice to make. Do I stretch my leg over the wall and risk injuring myself, or play it safe and get back down? In spite of all the cheers of encouragement from my teammates and my husband, I chose to get back down. I let the fear of being uncomfortable set in and my limited thinking about my ability to take over. I chose the easy path and walked around the obstacle.

Could I have done it? Probably! Did I regret not stretching more? Most definitely!

What does it mean to Spiritually stretch?

Mark 3:1-6 tells the story of a man with a withered hand. "Withered" means dry. There had been no blood flow for quite some time. Moving it would have been uncomfortable to say the least. Jesus told the man to "stretch out his hand". Jesus could have just said "Be healed", but he asked the man to stretch. Why? Because stretching is an act of obedience. Jesus was more concerned about his obedience than his comfort. Would the man obey, push through the pain and be healed, or play it safe and say, "I am comfortable the way I am."?

We know he obeyed and stretched out his hand in obedience and was healed.

Another example of obedient stretching in the Bible is Moses stretching out his staff so God could part the sea, (Exodus 14:26-27) or when he had to stretch out his arms and hold them there in order to win the battle. (Exodus 17:8-13) There are many more, but the ultimate example of obedient stretching is when Jesus stretched out His arms, willingly and obediently and was crucified. This stretch was for all mankind.

Why don't we choose to stretch when faced with a challenge? Could it be that we haven't exercised our faith in so long that we have just begun to get used to and accept our dry, withered faith as normal? Could it be that we care more for our own comfort than our obedience?

Some of you, perhaps, are at the top of the proverbial wall. You are looking at a new opportunity or an act of obedience God has set before you. I'm talking about something that will require uncomfortable stretching on your part, such as talking to a person about Christ, taking a new job or leaving your current one, confronting someone, starting a new ministry, forgiving someone, or perhaps even to stay in a difficult marriage. You have the choice to stretch yourself in obedience, risking hurt, rejection, and being uncomfortable, or play it safe and say "I'm comfortable the way I am", and just walk around that wall.

Recently, for me, the stretch at the top of the wall was to launch this website. I had it up and running for weeks before I even told anyone about it. God had laid it on my heart and mind to start a BLOG when I retired from teaching school over 3 years ago and use it to teach life principles from His Word. Honestly, procrastination, some lame excuses, and fear of rejection have held me back. I have been hanging out at the top of the wall for years and I finally realized that I needed to either get down and move on, or obey and stretch. I decided to obey. The easy part was the writing. The hard part was stretching out my index finger and clicking the SEND button. But, it's done and I'll leave the results up to God.

I have some questions for you today.

1. How is God stretching you? Is there something you know that He is calling you to do?

2. Are you hanging out at the top of a wall trying to determine whether to obey and stretch, or get down and move on?

3. Will you be obedient, put your comfort aside and STRETCH?

I pray you will obey, stretch your faith, live beyond limited thinking, and even risk being uncomfortable so you can fly over the top of that wall and live with no regrets.