"Breathe, stretch, shake, let it go" (Mase,2004)
This was a song I wiggled to as a youth.
Surely this was just a hit on the radio.
Surely this was not a life lesson in the making.
Yet, as I stretch each day, I find myself repeating these words to myself.
Years of injuries.
Years of misuse.
Years of abuse.
All led to this place 
Misalignment.
Muscles, ligaments, tendons, all out of whack.
Hairline tears, fractures, factions of the body not working as they ought to.
At first, stretching was painful.
In fact, I cried.
There was no way that something meant to be good for me,
Could hurt so badly.
There was no way that something that was meant to help me heal,
Could be so painful.
BUT, AS THE PROFESSIONALS DO THEIR JOBS
I MUST DO MINE

Physio, Chiro, RMT; all say the same thing.
Stretch more.
Get deeper into it.
Hold your stretches longer.
That is the only way to heal.
That is the only way to get better.
That is the only way to work with us.
To get better, that is your task.

Momma always said;
"You have to stretch to grow"
I thought I understood what she meant then,
But as the years turn, 
I realize I do not fully comprehend the entirety of that phrase.
For you see, stretching is painful but necessary.
Positions I want to twist and turn into.
Poses I think I can just do.
But I am then faced with the reality at hand.
Misaligned hips, tight muscles, overworked ligaments.
Reality is not quite what I envisioned.
Everything is stiff, everything hurts.
So I have to take it slow.
I have to learn
I have to be intentional.
I have to be ready to adjust. 
I have to ask for help 
When I am not sure of what to do.
And most of all, 
I have to be CONSISTENT. 
For to be inconsistent, 
Is to repeat the same actions over and over again, 
With no results or reward to show for it. 

So, through the pain.
Through the tears.
Through the sweat.
I must breathe.
I must stretch.
I must shake it off.
And let go of any ideas that I may have of how things ought to be.
I have to face my reality squarely,
And keep my goal in mind;
To heal, to get better, to grow (mentally).
To me, this reflects FAITH.

That evidence of things not seen.
That substance of things hoped for.
That walk with God that requires you to be comfortable in the unknown.
That growth process that is all about SURRENDER and SUBMISSION.
The thing about stretching is,
The more you resist it, the harder it is.
The more you tense up,
The more difficult it is to get into the position you need to be.
The more you try to force it,
The less you are able to accomplish.
This is very synonymous to our faith walk.
This is truly what growing in faith is all about. 
When walking in faith,
I cannot resist the direction and prompting given.
For to do so is to make the journey harder. 
I cannot tense up when instructed or convicted.
For to do so is to make growth a more difficult process. 
I cannot force my way.
For to do so is to accomplish nothing of His plan.
"For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?" (Mark 8:36)

"You have to stretch to grow"
Are you ready?
To stretch more.
To get deeper into it.
To hold your stretches longer.
Through the pain.
Through the tears.
Through the sweat.
Will you breathe?
Will you stretch?
Will you shake?
Will you let it go?
To the professional (God) to do His job.
As you do yours (stretch).
That is the only way to get better.
That is the only way to work alongside Him.
To get better, that is your assigned task.

"Breathe. Stretch. Shake. Let it go."

References:

Bible Hub. Online Bible Study Suite, 2004-2016, biblehub.com.

Mase. (2004). Breathe, Stretch, Shake. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm5SHvSDMWU

YouVersion. Holy Bible. New Living Translation. 2015. Tyndale House Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.bible.com/