Squeeze your Shoulder Blades

But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from listening.  Zechariah 7:11

Time after time in the Old Testament, God’s people, the Israelites, declared their allegiance to God, but then turned away from Him.  They  took up  the customs of their neighbors  (which God had told them not to do), did not worship Him and even made idols and worshipped false  “gods.” They “turned a  stubborn shoulder and stiffened their necks and would not listen.” (Nehemiah 9:29b)

Are we any different in the 21^st century?  Not really.  We are born with the tendency to disregard God and to be the chief executive officer of our own lives. “They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt. There is no one  who  does  good, not even one.“ (Psalm 14:3)  God is jealous of our affections and His first commandment is “You shall have no other gods before  Me.” (Exodus 20:3)  So, to set up our own “gods” in the form of self  (pride), material goods, career status, etc., is a sin and separates us from  Him.

God offers a way back to Himself:  God offered His Son, Jesus, as the only needed sacrifice to pay for our sins. (Romans 5:8) God did this because he loves us and wants to be in fellowship with us. The Message  Bible states it this way in Romans 5:10: ”If,  when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we’re at our best,  just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life!”  Restored fellowship with God brings new life.

So God desires to have you in a relationship with Him and wants to be  Number One in your life. Do not “turn a stubborn shoulder” to God.  Instead, stay close to Him and  rejoice  in  this  vibrant new life made possible by Jesus Christ.

Now, about those shoulders…

She is using a corset to squeeze her shoulder blades.
363px-Le_Corset_de_Toilette_-_55_FigB[1]

Remember the game “Freeze Tag?”   If  I  tagged  you now and you “froze” your position,  what would your shoulders look like?   I’ll  bet they are rounded forward. This is a silhouette many of us assume unawares as we get older. This rounded-shoulder  posture  can  be corrected  by squeezing your shoulder blades toward each other, an exercise I consider to be one of the most important ones you can do.

Here’s how to do it:  Pretend there is a small teddy bear climbing up your back and he is right between your shoulder blades. Now give the teddy bear a “hug” with your shoulders. (It may help to actually hold a stuffed animal or small pillow or a soft ball there.)  If you’re doing this correctly, your shoulder blades will slide toward each other just slightly. ( Your shoulders may pull slightly backward but your arms will not move.)  Another technique is to have someone place the edge of their hand in  the  center  of  your  back  and you try to “reach”  toward  their  hand  with your shoulder blades. You could also look  in  a  mirror  to see if your shoulders are moving  inward.  Do you feel broader across your front?  Good!  Hold and count to three. Then repeat a couple more times.

Don’t  worry if it takes a few  tries to get the hang of this one.  Many people have trouble learning this exercise because it is not one we do very often and it  takes a deliberate  effort.  When we train our muscles,  we  have to first train the nerves  (in this case, the nerves that convey the message from your brain to the muscles attached to your shoulder blades). Once this connection is  established, the exercise will become easier.

Try doing this exercise while driving.
Ford Model A at Collector Car Ads

Keep  practicing  a few  times a day – while driving, taking a study break or talking on the phone are possibilities. Strengthening  these  muscles  will improve your posture  and help avoid shoulder problems – both good reasons to add this exercise to your routine!