Stretch Marks

For God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Tim 1:7

Monarchs. Common Buckeyes. Blue Morphos.

These insects known as butterflies are created to stretch,

to flutter by during their brief life span,

a span of only a couple of weeks.

And during this time, they have no time

to criticize their coloring,

to compare their wingspan,

or to concern themselves about their differences.

The Monarchs

do not see themselves as royalty above all other butterflies.

The Common Buckeyes

refrain from judging whether other flutter-bys are common or uncommon.

And the Blue Morphos

are surely unfamiliar with body dysmorphia,

an obsessive focus on perceived flaws in appearance.

Perceived flaws?

The Buckeyes don't have eyes to see this.

The Monarchs never travel to this desolate land.

The Morphos won't even think of this mind-morphing.

Body dysmorphia, the self-absorption over a perception is

Disorienting.

Disabling.

Disrupting of life and leading to more disorder.

Which, if in the butterfly's case,

would keep a caterpillar confused,

a chrysalis contained,

and a metamorphosis...missed.

These creatures know their purpose:

Embrace your form: it's the Creator's Choice!

Enjoy your day: it's a Gift!

Expand your awareness of the present: it's a Present!

But a host of humans curl up into the chronic A-list of dis-ease:

Always focus on your flaws, and keep finding them (!)

Absorb this (pricey cream) while becoming more self-absorbed (!)

Avoid being out in public looking like (gasp)...the way you are. (!)

What makes other Life forms able to stretch away from this sickness?

Understand Creation if you would understand the Creator. St. Columbanus

How does certain Life know for certain

that Health is about Healing, becoming Whole, becoming Holy-

and that stretchmarks are necessary?

Can Creation correct us?

That instead of denying our changing bodies,

or driving ourselves to erase any evidence of aging,

the goal is developing stretchmarks?

For God has not given us a spirit of fear...

Stretching mouths and voices to speak up, speak out, speak Optimism, speak for those unheard?

Stretching arms open to embrace someone? Anyone? Everyone?

Stretching the mind's eye to see the holiness of Each and Every?

but of power...

from Stretchers in scripture:

Our Maker, stretching Love to create Life;

Mother Mary, stretching in faith and skin to grow Christ within her;

Her Son, arms outstretched in life to embrace the sick, the lonely, and the defeated;

Her Son, arms outstretched in death to stretch hearts and minds

to see Life beyond the life we perceive.

To see Life beyond the flaws we perceive.

and of love...

from Stretchers everywhere:

Givers, stretching resources to care for others;

Healers, stretching skills to care for bodies and brains;

Teachers and Mentors, stretching abilities to see possibilities;

Creatives, stretching senses to stretch perspectives; and

Spiritual guides, stretching souls to see the Spirit in all.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear...

Why does it seem nearly revolutionary to accept oneself and others,

to be countercultural by avoiding the beauty and diet counters?

What is the price of exchanging the glossing, smoothing and preserving

for a Relishing of the Radiance of the stretchy skin we're in?

but of power...

Welcome, wrinkles!

Love you, laugh-lines!

Show yourselves, stretch-marks!

and of love...

Skin-stretching is miraculous:

skin holding us together in the midst of constant change;

skin keeping us in one piece through the roller-coaster seasons of life; and

skin binding us up (heart, soul and mind) through times which threaten to tear us apart.

and of sound mind ...

God knows, we are not made to fear.

Will we stretch for Truth?

It's in Creation, both deep and wide.

It's in the flutter-by, nowhere and now here.

It's both within and beyond where we've looked before.

I stretch my gaze as far as the lofty hills.

Then rest my eye

On the woods near the summit.

My Spirit glides

Between heaven and earth.

-an excerpt from Classical Chinese Literature