One of the characteristic complaints that God expresses toward the Jewish people is that they are “stiff-necked.” I never quite got that as a criticism until I slept wrong one day and woke up with a stiff neck. When I got into the car I realized how dangerous a stiff neck could be. I had to burn my whole body to see anything on the side — and forget about backing up. Having a stiff neck gave me tunnel vision, I could only see in one direction. Being spiritually stiff necked works in a similar way. You can only see things from your perspective, from your point of view. You miss the presence and action of God which is bigger and wider than you. The cure for a stiff neck is exercise. Spiritual exercise will include looking at salvation history, reading the Bible, heeding the teaching of the Church all of which can stretch us out of our own little world.
