Gratitude Day 581

Psalm 55:22 – So here’s what I’ve learned through it all: Leave all your cares and anxieties at the feet of the Lord, and measureless grace will strengthen you.

Soon, we’ll be in the middle of mud season. For those who live in an area where you get snow, you know what I’m talking about. The snow begins to melt. Or there’s too much melting snow and/or rain at the same time. The ground maybe still frozen so water can’t seep in. Soon, everything looks like a muddy hot mess. Mud everywhere. In the wheel tracks where a vehicle goes through, ruts are quickly filled with water. It’s fine for a day or two. But soon, we tire of the muddy mess.

Growing up on a farm, I can remember plenty of times when this time of the year was a bit precarious. Soon, a tractor or a truck or some other piece of farm equipment gets stuck. Sometimes, it just takes a little tug to get the stuck item unstuck. Other times? Well, let’s just say that it’s easy for frustrated people dealing with stuck vehicles to lose their cool. And their language would not be appropriate for me to repeat.

Getting stuck can happen in lots of other ways. A lid is stuck on a container. You try to wiggle through a space too small and you get stuck. Something gets stuck in your eye, a drain, or in-between your teeth. I know. None of those things is real pretty either.

Many times, I have also found myself stuff as a person. I’m stuck trying to decide. Or I’m waiting for God to make an indication clearer. Maybe it feels like the choose between two options isn’t clear. Either could work. And so, you feel stuck.

Truth: some people can make decisions rapid fire. Others? They need to sleep on it. For a day, a week or a month. Hubby Rick is there night now with the motorcycle buying saga. Twice, he’s found just the right cycle … only to discover that it just sold. And so, we keep looking.

Sometimes, I can make a quick decision. Other times? Not so much. This happens often when I feel stuck. It could be something professionally that I’m struggling with. And it happens personally just as often; maybe more.

Feeling stuck can be very frustrating. It really feels a lot more comfortable when things are just going along. Seemingly no problems. Being stuck? Completely different. I often feel like I’m not sure how long to wait or where to turn for advice and guidance.

And many times, we just need to be stuck for a while. Wait. The right window hasn’t opened yet. The next decision isn’t clear. It’s feels ago for a day or a week or a month. But when this period extends longer? It’s easy to let doubt creep in. Distract you. Assume there is something more going on when maybe there isn’t.

Honestly, I’ve been feeling more than a bit of this lately. I keep praying. I keep searching. I keep waiting. I keep hoping that sometime soon, the next right decision will be noticeably clear. Sometimes it does happen. Other times? The waiting seems to go on and on and on.

Do you feel stuck right now? Maybe it’s a big decision or some little choice. Either way, simply name it. Claim it. Own it. Make it clear that you are trying to figure it out. This may not speed up the unstuck period but at least you are being clear about your current reality. You are acknowledging it and tell God you want clarity.

As uncomfortable as being stuck feels, when I look back, I know that the times when my faith grew the most is when I was in the middle of some stuck period in my life. When I could fully go before God and lay it at God’s feet, then I could begin to see some little thing that I had been missing. Or at least one little piece of the pie started to become clearer.

Today, where are YOU feeling stuck? Where you feel like you’re spinning your feet and not making progress?

Here’s what you can do:

1. Name it. Claim it. Make it known to yourself and God that you feel this way.
2. Pray about it. Over and over. Ask God for wisdom and guidance.
3. Talk to a couple trusted friends about it. Sometimes God speaks to us through someone we know every well.
4. Wait. Listen. Get yourself in a place regularly when you will be able to hear God. In this waiting time, it’s easy to let your emotions take over. This is where you really need to double down in giving it to God.
5. In the meantime, do one next right thing. It maybe related to your stuck situation and it may not be. Be clear about one step at a time.
6. Repeat, as necessary.

When we’re stuck, we simply want to be unstuck. But being stuck can also be a personally enriching time … if we let it. Allow yourself space and time to grow through this period.

And when you are no longer feeling stuck, CELEBRATE! Make the most of the next right step. Thank God. And move forward with God’s guidance and wisdom.

For You to turn to when I feel stuck, I am grateful.

Blessings –

Dianne

Dear God – It’s easy to think that You’ve let us down when we feel stuck. Or that You have abandoned us. Deep down inside, we want to believe that this isn’t true. That we just need to time to sort through where we feel stuck. Confirm with us that You are always present. Allow us to grow even in stuck periods. Make decisions clear. Bring people who can help us sort through things into our lives. Affirm for us that You have our back. Amen.

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