Some clothes are very tight-fitting; others are made from fabrics which have more ‘give’ or ‘stretch in them.
The difference in such clothes is often down to the cut of the material and the actual fabric itself. Some fabrics are more stretchy or elastic than others. Elasticity is defined as ‘the ability of an object or material to resume its normal shape after being stretched or compressed‘ with a secondary meaning of ‘the ability to change and adapt.’
All of us need this secondary meaning if we are to survive the storms and trials of life. We can’t afford to be rigid and brittle or we will easily break when circumstances become difficult. We need flexibility: ‘the quality of bending easily without breaking’, like the tree which, though battered by storms, will bend and then resume its normal shape:
The boughs and branches of a tree learn to bow low so they can bounce back to their original position. The key to being elastic or flexible is to learn to bow down before God. As we humble ourselves before God, His word promises that He will lift us up. (1 Pet 5:6, James 4:10). Bowing down signifies submission and reverence, an acknowledgment that God is God and we are not. It signifies that though we may be cast down and in great distress (Ps 57:6, Ps 38:6), we are trusting in God rather than in our resourcefulness and skill.
Novak Djokovic, the famous tennis player, was asked what his hobbies were and his wife, before he could reply, responded, ‘Stretching. Whenever Novak has a spare moment, that’s what he likes to do.’ Stretching is an essential part of becoming flexible. God often brings circumstances into our lives which we would rather He didn’t, but the purpose of these challenges is to stretch us and teach us to grow (see James 1:1-5). God promises us that these trials will not break us (1 Cor 10:13): ‘he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it’, as the Message version puts it.
‘When my heart is torn asunder
And my world just falls apart,
Lord, You put me back together
And lift me up to where You are.’ (‘When My Heart Is Torn Asunder’, Phil Wickham)