Remaining supple

There is a difference between suppleness and flexibility. The call is always that we are available to God as we are. This not only means that we need to be aware of ourselves but also the environment in which we live. This self-knowledge allows us the opportunity to discover God within our inner self. The awareness of what brings life and hope which allows us to flourish as a  human person. God seeks us to become more rather than less. This creative essence helps us to appreciate the intimacy and the desire of God which permits us to grow in our humanity. 

Equally important is the circumstances in which we give ourselves the best opportunity to thrive as  Christians. This calls us to reflect each day on where we discover the same life reflected in our interactions with other people and where we meet them. These encounters should allow us the opportunity to be more ourselves rather than less. In our daily life, we are called to respond rather than react to the lives of others. This provides us with the means to see how our lives belong to Christ and how this influences the way we live. This is where we need to be supple in our response to others. We need to see what allows them to grow most easily in their relationship with God. 

Often the tension we meet is that mistake this suppleness for flexibility. Suppleness allows us to be responsive and attentive to the other person. To discover what helps them to encounter God more easily as the person they are. Flexibility, on the other hand, means that we can at times change to meet the expectation of another without consideration of whether it is good for us and good for the other. It can cause us to deny that our lives have their origin in God and our lives need to be responsive to his love. In determining how to make the right choice we need to consider will this bring life to me and to the other. Where discordant notes are sounded we need to notice what it is that sits uneasily with us. Similarly, when we take the path of least resistance we need to notice the end that this can lead us to. In all things and all situations, we need to grow in this suppleness and openness to God's presence. To discover what most allows for the greatest good and what most easily leads to the flourishing of the love that God calls us to bear witness to. We need to trust the other person to God that the spirit working in them will produce the spiritual fruits which are necessary for their life and the life of the community.