Embrace the Stretch

by Christian Fauth

​When my husband, Carl, and I were dating, he was serving as a youth pastor in Montana, and I had just moved there from Missouri. Growing up in Missouri, my experience with snow-related activities was limited to tubing and building snow castles. Carl, however, decided snowboarding would be our shared adventure. Could skiing have been easier for a beginner? Absolutely. But Carl was so committed that he didn't rent; he bought me an entire snowboarding setup, complete with board, boots, and pants.

Excitedly, he took me to Lost Trail, a mountain famous for powder snow. On our way up the ski lift, I noticed people gently descending a slight slope using a simple rope lift. When I asked Carl about it, he casually said, "That's the bunny hill—we’re not doing that."

My initial attempts were surprisingly decent. With confidence building, I felt the thrill of carving down the slope. But then, in one swift, unfortunate fall, I hit the snow so hard on my tailbone that—there’s no delicate way to say this—I lost control of my bladder! Humiliated and defeated, I unstrapped my snowboard and walked the rest of the way down the mountain. Carl continued snowboarding, unaware that I had officially retired from the sport forever.

Reflecting on this memory, I realize that in that moment, resilience eluded me. I let one hard fall define my snowboarding career, and that mountain felt impossibly long and cold as I walked down alone.
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This humorous yet painful experience mirrors seasons in life and ministry. We often feel pulled beyond our limits, forced into roles or situations for which we didn't ask. Expectations can overwhelm us, disappointments can deeply wound us, and waiting can exhaust our patience. It’s during these moments that we find ourselves questioning, "God, why is this so hard? Why does ministry often feel like a battle?"

Yet, what if these challenging stretches aren’t punishments, but preparation? Anything that grows must stretch; children experience growing pains, seeds break apart to sprout, and athletes stretch to build endurance. Similarly, God stretches us to prepare us for greater capacity, resilience, and impact.

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The Apostle Paul’s life exemplifies this stretching. Once a persecutor of Christians, he was stretched to become the most significant church planter and missionary of his era. Paul endured beatings, imprisonments, shipwrecks, and betrayals, but rather than becoming bitter, he leaned deeper into God's grace. He famously wrote, "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14).

Paul understood the importance of stretching. His hardships increased his reliance on God, deepening his faith and resilience. He recognized that trials weren’t meant to destroy him, but to refine and strengthen him.

Consider the imagery of wineskins used by Jesus in Matthew 9. Old, rigid wineskins can’t hold new wine; they burst under pressure. Only new, flexible wineskins can hold the fresh move of God. Becoming new wineskins involves rigorous cleansing, softening, cutting away impurities, and preparation. It’s uncomfortable, but necessary.

In our own lives, we resist being stretched because of fear, discomfort, or attachment to familiar ways. However, if we refuse to stretch, we miss out on the new things God wants to do through us. Stretching prepares us not just for survival but also for significant growth and impact.

When Carl and I faced an unexpected ministry setback early in our marriage, being asked to resign without apparent cause, we experienced deep pain. Yet, that trial stretched us profoundly. We wrestled with our trust in God, our motives for serving, and having the resilience needed to continue. Though painful, that season shaped our faith and refined our dependence on God.

Stretching seasons in ministry and life aren’t wasted—they're preparation. Whether God is expanding your capacity, allowing trials for refinement, or calling you into something new, trust that the discomfort serves a purpose. God doesn’t stretch you to break you but to equip you for greater endurance, deeper faith, and expanded influence.
Will you embrace the stretch, surrender to His process, and step confidently into the new thing God is preparing for you?

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Christian is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God who serves as Creative Arts Pastor at Life360 Chesterfield in Springfield. Christian leads worship with her husband, Carl, with a surrender that delights the Father's heart, bringing His worshippers into His presence. She is also on the church's Preaching Team and is passionate about the life-changing Word of God, delivering it with a beautiful anointing. Her main priority, outside of ministry, is her family, and she is mom to three amazing teen boys."