Today’s guest blog is written by Hannah Lamberth, a great pal of mine and Pastoral Care co-ordinator at Ivy. Han writes:

Every December for the past 3 years God has given our church a word for the following year. 2010 was the year of ‘Multiplication,’ 2011’s word was ‘Surprises’ and 2012 is the year of ‘Stretching.’ On the announcement of this year’s word, everyone around me looked like they’d had a light bulb moment: “Definitely from God!..Just where we’re at!…How exciting!” All I could think of were”¦ stretch MARKS and lunging. Oh dear!

Stretching for me is not a happy word. I don’t particularly like exercise, so pre-workout “stretching” doesn’t exactly fill me with excitement. The word ‘stretchy’ is often linked with ‘clingy’ for me too. Stretchy clothes clinging to my body (a post-baby-lack- of-exercise-no-no). Stretchy chewing gum left on a tube seat and sticking to my jeans. Stretchy play-doh, well and truly welded into my carpet. No thank you!

As I left my previous job to go on maternity leave (my belly reaching the door 3 weeks before I did) a spotty faced 18-year- old turned to me and said, “Have YOU got any stretch marks? I saw a mingin’ picture on the Internet of a woman with LOADS of them. Gross!”

“Not really.” I responded, a little untruthfully. Under my 6 berth tent (aka maternity top) I looked like I’d been savaged by a tiger who’d been bitten by piranha. Note to self: Never speak to HIM again!

I remember the feeling of my skin pulling apart and the big purple marks appearing on my body as though my now 2 year old, had got hold of a tub of Dulux and fancied some, not wholly pleasant, finger painting.

A friend had told me how someone she knew had been really bothered by the marks left on her post-baby tummy. She’d really prayed about it and felt God telling her to call them “Love marks” instead. Call me unholy, but I have to say I wasn’t wowed by this story. I was pleased for her, but just didn’t feel the same when I looked in the mirror.

A few weeks later I started thinking about how I would paint a picture of a post-pregnant woman. She would be beautiful, with a look on her face that said she understood her role as a mother in a different way; that she was not resigned to her new body but grateful for what each line meant to her. Her stretch marks would be a beautiful gentle silver and purple. They would show the strokes of the brush as if the artist had been excited to be painting because He knew what they symbolised. Then I had my ‘penny drop moment.’ God had painted MY tummy with purple, sapphire and silver. My scars from the most precious gift I have ever received, WERE the colour of jewels.

These jewels were signs of a gift that was unimaginable and indescribably brilliant. My wonderful little girl!

Despite the negative connotations of the word stretching for me I know it is a word in season for our church. I trust my leaders and I trust my God. The words ‘Multiplication’ and ‘Surprises’ for the previous years had been so perfect, in retrospect. “So” I say to myself, ” Lord, I’ll go with it. But please help me!”

So I have started to think about stretching in a more positive way.

Stretching before exercising isn’t fun. But if you don’t do it you’ll be in pain afterwards. It is necessary in order to develop muscle and aid recovery. Also, the more you stretch, the more you can run. The more you run, the further you can go. Everyone’s a winner!

Lastly, even my (significantly more than average) number of stretchy chewing gum moments”¦ sticking to my leg, bottom, hair, hand, fingers (as you pull the school table towards you and get more than you bargained for”¦ugh!) remind me of something incredible. People who stretch themselves are attractive. They draw people towards them and people want to stick to them.

Athletes stretch themselves; Richard Branson has stretched himself; Mother Theresa, heroic people in the news and most significantly Jesus. Stretching yourself mentally, physically, spiritually in generosity and beyond your appeared capability all draws attention to Someone.

People notice stretchers.

So, I now I will think differently. Now I am embracing the year of stretching. This year I will be uncomfortably stretched but I will be left with jewels and an amazing prize. I will run faster and go further and, even more beautifully, I will take people with me on the journey.

Hannah Lamberth