One of my cats caused me to ask a profound question one day… she’s the one who was in charge of waking me up with a gentle nudge each morning, more for the sake of their breakfast than my work schedule. Lounging on ‘her’ side of the bed, she stretched one little white-tipped paw toward my arm… smiling, I asked, “are you stretching or reaching?” A simple question, if she were trying to get in contact with me, I’d need to move just a bit to meet her – but if she were trying to stretch, my moving toward her would instead become a roadblock. Think about it – have you ever built up for a really good stretch or yawn, and just as it was going quite well, something or someone interrupted – you arrived at the ceiling or wall, the phone rang…and there was the frustration of an unfulfilled stretch and a bit of harsh attitude toward the interloper.
The question played in my mind for a while… reaching… when you reach for something, whether it be near or far, you have a certain expectation that you will touch or grasp it. Your level of desire can be measured by what it takes to make you give up – will you stand on tip-toes, fetch a chair, ask for help, or surrender & leave the desired thing where it is, out of reach? Sometimes the expectation is painfully unmet – like reaching for a child’s hug, only to have them turn away… a few of these, and we might give up the desire to hug children, or anyone, because we’ve learned to stop reaching, to stop being disappointed, to stop trying.
When you stretch, other than being interrupted, it’s very self-satisfying. It’s healthy, of course, to stretch – to un-kink the muscles or prepare them for a workout, but it’s admittedly focused on one. The objective is centered in ‘my’ satisfaction, the activity is done ‘my’ way, only I will know whether I’ve done what I set out to do, and only I will reap the benefits. Other than in classes such as yoga & tai-chi, it’s not a connecting activity.
God seeks for us to connect with Him – to do more than stretch, but instead to reach with the expectation that we will come in contact with Him and receive what He has for us. That may be instruction, or comfort, or admonition, but whatever it is, He is wise to know what is best and faithful to provide what is needed.
Wise parents will work with young children to teach them to reach…keeping themselves just beyond the reach of a toddler learning to walk, but never beyond the length of their own arms, in case the little one loses balance. We learn confidence when we successfully reach for something and acquire it, whether confidence in ourselves, or confidence in the one keeping supplies & security nearby. We also develop strength and coordination – imagine a baby who never had to stand & walk to get to Mom & Dad or explore his/her world…their little legs would never learn to carry them, and they’d become spoiled demanding tots, insisting that every object of their desire be placed in their hand without any effort on their part.
Our Father is the supreme wise parent – holding us close, and bringing us through phases of reaching….that we may learn to walk, or be seen by others to be walking that they may take up the challenge…that we may have confidence that whatever we need is in His hand… that we may develop strength and endurance for times when the object of our desire is not immediately available. He is also the supreme gentleman – though He longs to move close and make contact with us, He will not interrupt a stretch, but rather will wait until we actually reach for Him.
So, as you read & pray & do the things that a child of God is ‘supposed to do’, ask yourself, are you Stretching, or Reaching?