Published: January 24, 2008 11:06 am         

Stretch your comfort zone, connect with a good church

I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that I can't touch my toes anymore unless I'm sitting down with my legs crossed. The good news is, well, let's just say the good news is hopeful.

The other day on the shopping channel, a fitness expert explained that we lose a half inch or more in height by the end of the day due to compression of the spine. It must be true because he was an expert selling a product on TV.

Anyway, I was thinking that on a good stretching day, I am only an inch or less from reaching my toes and if I waited until late evening to do my toe-touches, I'll be shorter and have less distance to reach! Therefore, logic suggests that I may be able to finally reach those toes just before midnight. Sometimes I just amaze myself at the simplicity of such thinking.

Not every bit of bad news in life is so easily resolved. Sometimes life gets messy and complicated. Mistakes, things we've said, and poorly thought out decisions often haunt our minds for years. King David felt this way when he commented, "My sin is ever before me."

Even though he was forgiven, the memory of committing the sin was still stuck in his mind and was a source of constant regret. A perfect life may be out of reach, but a church family that loves you and cares about you may be what you need to get through your tough times. Stretch your comfort zone and connect with a good church this weekend.

As for attempting to touch my toes, it seems that my logic was flawed and the greeting of digits never occurred. I don't understand what the big deal is anyway. I mean, who really wants to touch their stinky feet? And who knows, maybe ear touches are just as beneficial. There's got to be a device on the shopping channel to help me do that!

David Sandvick is the pastor of First English Baptist Church in Frostburg.