Embrace the Tension

TensionIt’s coveted in bridges, curtain rods, romance novels, and courtroom dramas, but not in life. The definition of tension is the state of being stretched or pulled or to apply force to something that tends to stretch it (dictionary.com).It might be just me, but when I think of the word stretched I picture medieval torture methods of being stretched on a rack while a hooded man in black turns the gears and its recipient screams in agony. It’s the overwhelming nauseous feeling that rises in your stomach as more workload piles up in your inbox and on your desk, and you’re already beyond capacity. Or, it’s the cold sweat panic of stepping out into a new situation where it’s unknown if we’re carrying a parachute.Have you ever watched a baby stretch? They embrace it with a full body-head-neck-arch-the-back kind of approach that makes a person want to do the same. So, why don’t we embrace stretching this way? Why do tension and stress have to have a negative connotation?I can almost physically see my boys being stretched. Their pre-adolescent bodies are growing by leaps and bounds. One grew three inches last year alone. It comes with growing pains, but their bodies are maturing and developing, which is a good thing. If they stopped growing at age nine, there would be a problem. It’s the same for us. Tension equals growth.If you’re uncomfortable than God may be changing you for the better. It’s tension that moves us forward. The stress of a looming deadline that forces us to finish. It’s the uncomfortableness that causes us to change. My pastor, Pastor Deryck Frye, is known for saying, “God isn’t concerned about your comfort. He cares about your character.” Why not embrace tension, knowing that it’s honing your character and making us more Christ-like. Isn’t it the hard work that makes the reward at the end that much more meaningful?When the weight of stress is pressing in on you, remember the following:It’s tension that holds up the bridge.It’s the heat that burns off the impurities in gold.It’s pressure that creates diamonds.Go ahead and embrace the tension. Don’t remain a piece of coal, expect adversity, push through it, knowing you’re becoming a diamond.“… For a little while, you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” – 1Peter 1:6-7Don't miss a post! Signup for my weekly blog by clicking here: Lorri's blog