Soul Stretch

One Saturday night, on the dance floor, a jujitsu master was jitter-bugging with a yoga teacher. As the dance ended, the jujitsu master cupped the yoga teacher in the small of her back with his left hand as she, with both feet flat on the floor, bent over backward with a fluidity until her blond hair swept the floor. After seeing this delight, the old church deacon, Millicent, who was sitting next me, got up. As she did so, she dropped her purse, spilling its contents. I bent over to pick it all up. “Don’t touch a thing!” she ordered. I stopped. Millicent said, “Bending over is the only exercise I get.” Leaving one hand on her cane to steady herself, she bent at the waist and methodically picked up all the odds and ends that had fallen from her purse.

Watching Millicent reminded me of the Boston TV program in the 1960’s called Romper Room, with Miss Jean. Miss Jean sang, “Bend and stretch, reach for the sky, stand on tippy-toes, oh so high.” The jujitsu master, the yoga teacher, Millicent, and Miss Jean knew the value of stretching. All of that reminded me of a poem by Robert Frost, about the birch that bends in the wind and the oak that breaks. When our faith becomes rigid in a way of thinking or believing, how is there room for us to flex and bend when God’s breath blows us in an unforeseen way?

Let’s Pray: Dear God, keep our spiritual feet rooted so that our whole souls may flex and swing lively when Your breath blows, bending us in unexpectedly graceful moves. Amen.

Today’s Thought Is: Stretch my soul, O God.

Source:
Mark 2:22 NRS
"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins."