Strength not Scars

Hand and Finger anatomy by OpenClipart-Vectors

Muscles provide a beautiful allegory for life and character.

Chains, tires, or hydraulic lifts wear out more quickly with frequent stress.

Stress on the muscles is precisely what can strengthen and improve them. In fact, the word atrophy, is a condition of muscle deterioration occurring because of lack of stress.

If you lay in bed for a duration of 24 hours, you can lose up to 5% of your strength and muscle mass.

What a wonderful invention better equipping us for the reality of imperfect life. Those who work harder need more strength and muscles can provide that.

We cannot figure yet how to work such a wonder into our own man-made goods.

If only tires got thicker rubber and deeper tread with stress instead of thinner and weaker then needing replacement.

If only chains would fatten their metal when stressed rather than risk breakage at the weakest link.

OVERCOMING HARDSHIP IN LIFE

This amazing ability in our muscles has a parallel in people who have overcome hardship.

There is something spiritual that develops in a person's character when choosing to learn and grow, harvesting beauty from ashes rather than seething in bitterness.

DAMAGED MUSCLES HURT

biceps clip art by Clker-Free-Vector-Images

For muscles to grow in size they must be damaged. Damage sounds bad but in the dynamic designed for our muscles, this creates two things: a higher demand for strength and the need to rebuild what is damaged.

It is interesting to note that growth occurs during the rest period, not during the exercise or stress. During rest is when muscles utilize the skill to rebuild bigger and better. After the rest period and healing, if muscles are again stressed and damaged, they will rebuild again but exceed their previous standard. Repeating this cycle is how muscles can grow bigger and stronger.

PLANT STRENGTH REQUIRES SOME STRESS

The same dynamics exist in plants. The risk with plants in perfect conditions and an ideal environment, makes them more prone to perish quickly when exposed to normal weather and conditions. A "sheltered life" is why greenhouses cannot be too perfect or else they create weakling plants.

In contrast, plant life surviving the elements, surviving enemies and surviving storms; are better rooted and able to continue surviving. This appears to be a universal pattern in nature.

I think there is something here for us to learn for ourselves.

A HUMAN LIFE WITHOUT STRESS OR CHALLENGE

A sterile environment of leisure without work or exercise, does not make a strong person but a weak, vulnerable person unprepared for the common adversities in life.