Flex

 To flex means to bend and tighten a muscle. Most little boys, and even some older ones, stand before the bathroom mirror flexing their biceps hoping their muscles grow. When a person flexes their muscles they are tensing them. The point of this article is not about flexing muscles. As we age, muscles atrophy and weaken. 

I have a total other thought in my mind. It was a phrase I read in Mark Batterson's new book, Gradually Then Suddenly. Batterson wrote about flexing our imagination. Instead of looking at the obstacles we can flex our imagination to see the opportunities. Flexing our God inspired imagination can help us see potential, possibilities, and pathways to get there. 

The problem is that people who are overwhelmed with seemingly impossible situations do not have the energy to flex their imagination. They are focused on the hopeless situation in front of them instead of the God of hope who says nothing is too difficult for Him. Is that really true practically or is it only theory? 

Here is the question we must consider. What does God want done in our situation? If God wills something to be done, we can believe that He will make a way for that to happen. You might have to flex your imagination and think outside the box. 

Let me illustrate. Several years ago Brenda and I started a church. Our first Sunday we met in a daycare. The smell of dirty diapers mixes with cleaning solutions were pungent. On our first Sunday morning, we outgrew the daycare. We scrambled and secured the junior high school cafeteria for Sunday mornings. That space was not available to us for our Wednesday night activities. I prayed and flexed my imagination. We met with our students in the stands of the football stadium for Bible study. We got more than a few confused and amused looks when people walked on the track. We met in the stands until the weather turned too cold, and then we moved into our oldest high school gymnasium. Those things worked until we could rent facilities of our own. We eventually converted a warehouse with grease stained concrete floors into a sanctuary with enough seating for well over 200 people. The bay doors rattled when the wind blew during services. We had a/c and heat, but the place was drafty. It still worked.  II would never have considered building a stage and putting chairs in a warehouse producing a makeshift sanctuary. It worked.  never would have considered any of those options until God inspired and we flexed our imagination. 

If you are up against it, overwhelmed, filled with despair and have lost hope, I want to challenge you to do a couple of things. Take some time and get away. Batterson also talks about how changing our pace of life and changing our place can lead to some powerful God encounters. In other words, change your routine. Sit in a cafe with a journal to meet with God. Take a prayer walk. Go sit in a park. When you do that, pray with all your heart about how God wants you to handle your situation. Ask God to inspire and flex your imagination. Write down the ideas that come to you.  

Flex your imagination and consider what God can do for you. His resources are unlimited. Psalm 24:1 His power is unmatched and capable of doing anything. Jeremiah 32:17 His understanding is inscrutable. Isaiah 40:28 Go ahead and flex your imagination. You might just be surprised by the solution God gives you for your impossible situation.