Pulling Together

We often think of tension as bad,
When our muscles are tight because we are mad,
Or hostility rears its ugly face
Because someone’s invaded our personal space.
But tension is normal, is needed, in fact.
In all that we do we need tension to act.

If ever a rubber band simply sat
On the table, just lying there limp and flat,
And wasn’t stretched and pulled so tight
You’d never know that it had such might.
It has the power within it to bind
Many loose things to make them much easier to find.

And if the strings on a violin
Were loosely attached, and then raised to the chin,
And provided no tension as the bow was drawn
In attempt to create a melodic song –
The notes would discourage and cast a pall,
Sounding weak and displeasing overall.

If your body had muscles well-built and strong
And bones to support them, both short and long,
But had no way for the two to connect
There would never be movement that you could detect.
There has to be something that transmits force.
God had a plan – He made tendons, of course.

The rubber band shows its potential to aid
When expanded beyond the size it was made.
The violin’s four slender strands, when pulled tight
Create glorious sounds that give birth to delight.
The tendons found buried deep inside
Allow movement we often take in stride.

Now all of these things rely on one thing –
They need tension to function like a spring.
And believe it or not, this is also true
Of relationships between me and you.
It’s not always pleasant or comfortable
As we sometimes push and sometimes pull.

Someone may ask you to give them a hand
And it may perhaps feel like it’s just a demand,
But stretch out your comfort zone, take a chance;
By working together we’re making a stance.
The tension between us can teach us to sow
Jesus’ grace and compassion wherever we go.

--Liz Kimmel