I missed my yoga class last week, so this morning I was ready and willing to be stretched. As I get older my body tells me I need to stretch, because the longer I live the more set my body becomes. It resists change, it fights back when I try to put a muscle in a place it hadn’t been in awhile, and it tends to say leave me alone.
But it’s not just the body that needs a regular stretching. It is very easy to get set in a routine, daily habits, and to resist interruptions.
I sometimes feel that my mind is more resistant to change than my body. I become grouchy and irritable if someone knocks me off my rhythm or interrupts my schedule. Yet, nothing needs a good stretch like the mind. Rest it might, but I should force myself not to become a creature of habit, remain open to something completely new and different, and insert into my daily routine something spontaneous on a regular basis.
So it finally comes to my heart and my spiritual life. Do I really want my relationship with God to be merely the same day in and day out? Shouldn’t I stretch my heart by helping my neighbors and meeting new people who stretch and pull at my heartstrings? Shouldn’t I learn about other’s relationship with God through studying and trying to understand different faiths and religions? The heart and soul need a good stretch just as much, maybe more, that our body and mind.
Every faith, every religion, and every person offers an opportunity to stretch, and boy I need a good stretch. How about you?
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