Beauty in the Bending
Every day you and I are invited to observe the world unfurl in spectacular bending. Flowers raise their bowed heads to the nectar of the sun. Trees sway to the cadence of the wind. Mothers nestle newborns close for sustenance. Athletes arch and extend their sinewy muscles.
Bending is permanently dyed in the fabric of all of creation, and we humans are the crowning luster of bending. We are inherently designed to resist the curl, fold, and collapse when life dares to break us. We are created to stretch and buck against invasive pressures . . . no matter what. We are fashioned by the Creator to bend when the really tough things invade and we want to slump inward and give up.
In those moments when we want to quit or we wrangle inside with “I just can’t do this anymore,” God nudges us to bend. To bow our spirit toward Him. To dig deep once more and rest in His everlasting arms. And when we do, beauty surprises us in the bending.
In engineering, bending stress occurs when an object loaded with external forces begins to flex. Too much pressure and the object cracks or collapses. In your life, a bending point is that experience where steadiness meets disruption. A bending point takes you to the edge where doubt can drag you into discouragement, or despair leaves you for dead. When you feel your life is falling apart—or, you simply have nothing left—this is you bending.
Bending is a curious blend of mystery and muddling. In our unsteadiness and uncertainty, God whispers for us to discover that in our bending, He is bending too.
Incredibly, as we flex and sway to the cadence of God’s timing, we find He is bending toward us as He kneels down in prayer on our behalf. At other times, our Chesed, our merciful, steadfastly loyal Maker is bending His head in tears because He wants so much more for us.
Do you sense His bending, extending His hands in loving help? Will you remain expectant of the beauty that comes from His bending artistry? Here. In your life. In this day.
By our friend Beth Lueders
Beth has zigzagged the planet to glean deeper richness from the people she meets and interviews. In Beth’s latest book, Bend: When Life Dares You to Break, Beth pursues how faith uncovers loveliness. We invite you to pick up a copy as you bravely and beautifully keeping bending in your own life.