As more and more restrictions limit our activities it would be easy to gripe and grumble. No church. No movie theaters. No museums. No libraries. No working from the office. No eating out at restaurants. No going out (or as little as possible.)

It’s a good time to get our flexibility grooves on. Instead of thinking about what we can’t do, try looking around for what we can do.

On Monday my brother and I took a long walk on the trail behind our neighborhood. We saw 16 turtles sunning themselves in one of of the ponds. Sixteen! (A mother and her 3 children near us counted 24, but we just saw 16. It’s still an impressive number.)

Flexibility is the opposite of rigidity, the inability to change and adapt. When our hearts are rigid inside, there’s no room for God’s love to mold and change us.When whirlwind challenges come, rigid hearts often fall and break.

Like this tree @ Windsor Castle Park (Smithfield, VA)

Our faith journeys are not static, but ever evolving as we get to know God better. As more of God’s love fills us, the more flexible we become as conduits of God’s love to ourselves and others. “A bruised reed God will not break…” (Isaiah 42:3)

When storms arise we can break, or we can bend with the wind keeping our hearts rooted in God’s mercy and grace no matter how far we fall.

Like this tree @ Windsor Castle Forest that has fallen, but is still growing and reflecting ever so beautifully in the inlet.

Here’s more about getting our flexibility grooves on from one of my favorite writers:

“Flexibility is a great virtue. When we are not willing to let our hearts be moved, we may easily be broken. Being like wild reeds does not mean being wishy-washy. It means moving a little with the winds while remaining solidly anchored in the ground. A humorless, intense, opinionated rigidity about current issues might cause them to break our spirits and make us bitter people. Let’s be flexible while being deeply rooted.”   Henri Nouwen

grace, peace & flexibility grooves

Virginia : )