We Must Stretch to Grow for God

Psalm 139:16 “Your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

God has a purpose for all of us.  Before He even created us, He knew the contributions that we would have on His kingdom.  He constantly tests us and grooms us to become what He wants us to become.

David said that God knit him together in his mother’s womb and that God knows his inmost being.  It is up to us to invite God into our lives.  When we do, He will work wonders and use us to impact the kingdom.  We were all given the specific gifts and talents we need to use to glorify Him and grow.

We develop our gifts the same way we grow our muscles, through exercise and practice.  However, it is common knowledge that stretching before and after exercise allows for the most efficient utilization of efforts.  Stretching prepares our muscles by forcing them into situations that we may see once we engage into the actual exercise.

In order for stretching to be beneficial, we have to push our limits.  If you simply go through the motion of something with ease, you are not pushing the limit.  True stretching teeters on pain and normalcy.  Too far and you could damage the muscle, not far enough and you could miss the opportunity for improvement.

Transitioning back into our spiritual lives, we will never grow if we do not leave the comfort zone.  Constantly taking the easy way out and going for the ‘safe win,’ is the last thing that God wants from us.  He wants us to use and develop the gifts and talents that He wove into His children.

We do this by listening to our hearts.  It is there we can feel the Holy Spirit tugging on us to jump into action.  When we see a person need help, we want to help.  If it is something convenient like holding the door, we seldom pass on the opportunity.  That is the ‘safe win.’  The stretching motion comes into play when we do the things that inconvenience us like working through lunch to help a coworker.

Doing those things break us from our usual routines and forces us out of the comfort zone.  We get the cue from the feeling of the Holy Spirit pulling our heart strings.  That tug forces us to contemplate two actions.  Stay and help OR pass on by.  The decision to pass is usually followed up with our excuses of being too busy to help.  Jamey Elms, a great friend, once told me, “excuses only make you feel better, not me.”

Instead of rationalizing away our lives, we need to stretch ourselves.  Be willing to give up something that you were looking forward to in order to help another.  Christians all say that we want to help others and share Christ’s love.  However, that all goes out the window the first time we are asked to give up something important to us.

God wants us to stretch out our muscles.  That is the only way we can grow.  Until we become willing to teeter on the line of pain and comfort we will never truly become all God designed us to be.

Joe Lawrence is the founder of InspireTomorrow.com, a Christian website dedicated to self-improvement.  He is also a published author and professional speaker.  Visit: www.inspiretomorrow.com

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