Not too long ago, I was invited to try yoga for the first time. Many dear friends and members of our faith community talk about the impact yoga has had on them. After some prodding, I decided I would try it with my wife, in the confines of our home. Thankfully, the experience wasn’t recorded! As I would try to stretch for this pose or that one, I never looked like the instructor on the screen. Instead, I looked like a stiff tree that kinda bends if forced. For me, what I discovered was how inflexible I am!

Apparently, the more yoga I do, the more flexible I will become. But the pain of my inflexibility might just outweigh the flexibility that may come in the future. I have spent much time contemplating this as I keep hearing people talk about how amazing the experience is. Therefore, a wrestling match ensues of whether I want to be flexible or just keep going on as I am today.

And truth be told, this isn’t just a physical issue. The question of flexibility goes with my life course, my beliefs, my ability to roll with the changes that inevitably will come. Will I stretch my resolve and concreteness in order to gain more, or will I say I like how I am and that’s that? This really is a question for all of us. How flexible are we? Are you?

The Way of Christ is a way marked by becoming flexible. To flex our spiritual muscle is to be stretched beyond my comfort. To walk in faith, drips with the invitation to move, not stagnate. For it is in walking that we experience new horizons around the next bend and discover the God who is walking with us. Though yoga may not be my cup of tea, I do believe that challenging my body to be more flexible will in fact help me become more flexible! And so too in my spirit. How about you?