Stuck!

When I looked out the door earlier today, I saw that the sleet was coming down hard, icicles had formed on the tree branches and the roads were covered in snow. Obviously, today wasn't the day to get out and about considering Georgia is having its “2014 Ice Storm.” There’s no school and no work because it’s too dangerous to go anywhere, so basically I’m just kind of…stuck.

 Have you ever felt that way? Not just when there is an ice storm outside, but how about in life? As I thought about that earlier, I remembered a few situations in my life where I have felt really, really stuck.

The first one that came to my mind was when I was little. I always felt stuck. I didn’t like small spaces, I didn’t like being tickled, I didn’t like being hugged very much and I didn’t like being squeezed really tight because I HATED feeling stuck! In fact, I would yell, “Let me go! I’m stuck, I’m stuck!” and eventually end up in tears. Basically I had a serious case of claustrophobia…Lol.

And then I can remember another time in my life that I felt stuck. I had just graduated high school, my college plans had fallen apart, my heart was broken, and I was struggling with and trying to deal with severe anxiety and fear. It was a year full of up’s and down’s and it was a very confusing time in my life. I had never had to go through anything like that, and it was difficult, but the most frustrating thing was that I felt sooooo stuck. Stuck in my situations, stuck in my heart break, stuck in my fear, just stuck plain stuck!

My God is faithful, and He delivered me out of all of that. He healed my heart and gave me peace of mind and opened up the door for me to move and eventually opened up the door for college, and I didn’t feel stuck anymore. Looking back now, I see the growth that took place in me during those hard times. He didn’t allow those things to happen to me to make me feel stuck and frustrated, but He had a deep purpose in it all and is continuing to teach me about waiting on Him.

 I don’t know what you are going through in life that might be making you feel stuck. Maybe you feel stuck in a difficult job that you don’t enjoy. Maybe you feel stuck in an ongoing conflict in a relationship. Maybe your ring finger still has no diamond, and you feel stuck in singleness. Maybe you feel stuck in a series of health issues that seem never ending, or financial burdens that make you feel like you can barely keep your head above water…I don’t know where your “stuck” is today, but I do know that “stuck” isn’t the way God wants you to feel.

So…what do you do when you feel stuck?

  1) Stay in His Placing

God has you at this place in your life for a reason and purpose.

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven,

Ecclesiastes 3:1

It's not exactly my dream to have to spend most of my free time studying, or get up really early to work a job that makes me smell like chicken lol. I’d love to be a wife and someday a mommy and in full time ministry etc., but I know that God is doing some of His greatest work in me, right where I am at. He is preparing me for my purpose and my passion. If I always have an “I’m stuck” attitude and complain about things I might not like, then I’m missing the whole point and I have the wrong perspective. He gives me opportunities each day to minister to and serve others. . I don’t want to miss out on them. There is a purpose in His placing; stay until He moves.

2)  Sit Still in His Presence

When I sit still in His presence, and mediate on Him, my thoughts are clear, my spirit is uplifted, my soul is refreshed and my joy is restored.  Jesus wants us to have a heart that is resting in Him, not restless. He wants us to sit still, and let Him move and work in our situations. Sometimes I get myself so worked up about things, all because I want to fix and solve everything right here and right now. I want to work things out in my timing when He just wants me to sit still. He's working on me ;)

Thou wilt show me the path of life, in thy presence is fullness of joy, at thy right hand there is pleasure forevermore…Psalm 16:11

2)       Study His Promises

There is such peace in His promises and such power in His truth. Doubt and fear can get the best of us in these “stuck” places, and when we don’t quite understand why we are facing certain situations. It’s important to drown out those negative thoughts and emotions with His truth and with His precious promises! Read them until they sink in and get deep into your mind and heart. Recall them when you start feeling stuck. His Word will not return void!  

The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

Psalm 119:130

3)  Sing His Praises

I love to sing, but there are definitely times when I don’t feel like doing it. The Bible says to worship God in spirit and in truth, though…in spirit when we feel it and in truth when we don’t! We have everything to praise Him for, and our worship to Him will glorify Him and bring us out of our stuck.

Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing…

Psalm 100:1

 4) Speak of His Power

A lot of customers that come eat at Chick-Fil-A are believers, and I have gotten in many conversations with them about the Lord. We will either talk about how He saved us or what He brought us out of or just how good He is! Those conversations are the most encouraging ones that I have all day! Speaking of His power will get your focus ON His power and off your “stuck” perspective of life. 

I will speak of thy glorious majesty, and of thy wondrous works

Psalm 145:5

  

6)       Push in Prayer

Staying in His placing and sitting in His presence does not mean simply doing nothing until He decides to work and move. There is a big difference. We are to PUSH in prayer:

 Pray

Until

Something

 Happens

 Ultimately, that stuck feeling that we sometimes get in life should bring us to our knees and cause us to cry out to Him. He wants to work and move in our lives and answer our prayers and take us straight into our passion and purpose. He wants us to dream big for Him and give us the desires of our hearts, but it takes preparation. During that preparation, we need to be praying and petitioning more than ever. I have seen the power of prayer in my life and in the lives of those around me, but sometimes, I don’t see God’s hand at work and I get frustrated and want to just give up. That’s when we gotta PUSH!!!

 

Stuck is a bad feeling to feel and place to be, and Jesus doesn't want us there. He is helping me in this area and I hope and pray He uses this to help you! Jesus wants me to go from sometimes feeling stuck, to always feeling and being satisfied fully satisfied in  Him. And that's exactly where He wants you, too. <3