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S. A. J. Lyttek, a multiple award-winning writer, always loved writing, but didn’t arrive at the profession in the typical manner. After college and graduate school, she plunged into government consulting. In this environment, she discovered a knack for writing tests, interviews and other measurements. That soon became the focus of her career—reigniting her love for the written word. Thus captivated, she spent evenings freelancing “fun” writing including short stories, poems, articles and cards. When her eldest was a toddler, she quit full-time work to stay home and write. Eager to spend more time with her children, homeschooling intrigued her. From preschool through high school, she homeschooled both sons while continuing to freelance. While an integral part of the homeschooling community, she developed and taught writing classes to a generation of homeschoolers. Married to her childhood sweetheart, Gary, Mrs. Lyttek loves to share her commitment to learners of all ages and her fascination with the written word.
This summer, my fibromyalgia as well as a new joy (hear massive amounts of sarcasm), a pinched nerve in my hip, have made stretching a daily, sometimes hourly necessity. For those of you without the experience of fibro, it both makes everything tight and movement difficult and painful. The pinched nerve, in its attempt to protect my body from future injury, has further tightened my hamstrings and muscles near my hip. Without stretching, I would be immobile.
In life, physically, mentally, and spiritually, we need to stretch. Stretching our minds keeps us ready to learn. Stretching our spirits helps us become more like our Savior. But just like with the body, needed stretches can be uncomfortable, repetitious, and sometimes, downright painful.
But without them, we reach a point where we can no longer move.
Repeatedly in the Exodus account, Moses was told to stretch. To stretch out his hand and proclaim the locusts, the dark, and many of the other plagues. In the end, he was told to stretch his hand over the seas—first to divide them, and then to send them crashing back down on the Egyptians. But yet, in the song of worship and deliverance, we learn that Moses stretched, not only in obedience to God, but on behalf of God. In truth, in the heavenly realities, each and every stretching miracle belonged to God and God alone. “You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them.” (Exodus 15:12)
Later in the book of Joshua, after Moses is gone, Joshua’s hand gets to represent the hand of his Creator in the conquest of the Promised Land.
Elijah stretched across the dead boy—offering everything he was and all he had to God to restore the widow’s treasure. In the dedication of the temple, Solomon begs God to acknowledge the prayers of any who stretch out their hands in pleading hope to the temple. “…whatever prayer, whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people Israel, each knowing his own affliction and his own sorrow and stretching out his hands toward this house, then hear from heaven your dwelling place and forgive and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways, for you, you only, know the hearts of the children of mankind.” (2 Chronicles 6:29-30)
God, Scripture echoes, stretched out the heavens. If His stretch has that much power, why don’t we stretch towards Him when we need anything? If we need understanding, he offers to stretch out to us with His wisdom. (see Proverbs 1) And, on multiple occasions, Jesus only healed if the person asking for healing stretched out.
Stretching isn’t our natural inclination. Especially in the spiritual. We’re more likely to curl in on ourselves in pity and hide. Isn’t that what Adam and Eve did at first when caught in their sin? When we stretch out, we acknowledge God’s sovereign power and our lack. We proclaim that without Him, we can do nothing. Without Him, we can’t “live and move and have our being” as Paul quoted on the Areopagus.
As I stretched my muscles today, I thought of the God who stretched out the heavens, stretches out to rescue us, and let his arms be stretched upon a cross.
Please Lord, remind me that I need to stretch to You.
Not enough comments this week, so the Guzzy Goofball copy is still in the running. Remember, the Wednesday after Labor Day one of the commenters from the summer will get a complete print set of the Talbott Family mysteries and a $25 Amazon card. Keep commenting for a chance to win!