Marking the stretches, stretching the marks

In my previous post, I wrote about the stretching of my heart. Of wanting my heart to be covered in stretch marks. When I first read that quote, it struck something in me. What am I doing with my heart? Am I loving enough? Giving enough? Spreading the arms of my heart wide enough? And so I thought about that - and I wrote. Wrote about wanting to love so greatly. So widely. So deeply. So unmitigatedly. Consummately. That my heart would be covered in stretch marks.

And last night as I was praying for the people around me, in my school. I felt something pour into my heart, and my heart felt like it was being stretched. Literally stretched to fullness, not just some spiritual metaphor - It was as if a passion and burden were filling my heart up that it was being stretched to its small capacity, trying to expand even greater. And you know what? It was uncomfortable. Painful, even. It was like my confined and restricted heart was a small balloon in my chest being blown up and pushed to the limit of its skin.

God showed me that He hears and sees all that I desire. All my resolutions and vows and commitments, and He takes them seriously. In this case, He did something literal while I was still thinking figuratively; He showed me that if I wanted my heart to grow in Love, it would not be something comfortable. It would be painful and uncomfortable and would bring me to my knees, crying out before Him. It would be the pounding and hammering of my chest as it expands to accomodate Glory, being shaped by the Master Potter Himself. It would be the fiery flames burning, purifying carbon to diamond, silver to gold. It would be the small balloon being replaced by an ever-increasing molten heart, blown bigger and bigger by the very Spirit and breath of God - I asked for stretch marks, now am I willing to pay the sacrifice for them?

The pain of growth, it is uncomfortable to the core. Being pushed, broken, tearing away of the old seed skin.

But the end result will be a heart filled with stretch marks, brimming with love and humility and glorious beauty. Stretched with praise and honor and holiness. Marked by the very hands of God. Stretched by the very marks of God.