Getting Unstuck
Greetings church family!
Have you ever felt stuck in life? In a 3-year span between 2018 and 2022, I experienced burnout, empty nest, COVID, and divorce (that eventually ended in divorce). I no longer knew who I was or where I was going in life. I wasn’t husband. I was still father, but from afar. My career didn’t carry the same meaning to me like it did in the past. My list of friends was dwindling. This was a place I had never experienced before - the place of feeling stuck.
In some ways my stuckness was brought about by circumstances beyond my control. I couldn’t keep my kids from growing up on going away to college. I didn’t bring COVID into existence.
In other ways, my choices brought about my stuckness too. My burnout was the result of working an unhealthy amount of hours without taking sufficient time off. And while my divorce was the result of the imperfections and baggage of two imperfect people, I was one of those imperfect people.
In the end, both circumstance and choices led to feeling stuck. The time came, however, to focus on getting unstuck. At this point, God reminded me of a book I had read many years earlier - MESSY SPIRITUALITY, by Michael Yaconelli. I re-discovered the following excerpt from this book.
“Getting stuck can be the best thing that could happen to us, because it forces us to stop. It halts the momentum of our lives. We have no choice but to notice what is around us, and we end up searching for Jesus. When we’re stuck, we’re much more likely to pay attention to our hunger for God and the longings and yearnings we have stifled. Sometimes being stuck is the low point and we say, “Okay, I give up.” We cannot grow without first giving up and letting go. Getting stuck forces us to see the futility of our situation and to put life in perspective so that we can move on.”
Church family, if you are feeling stuck in life, not knowing who you are or where you’re going, I first want to say I’m sorry and I get it. I’ve been there. It’s not a fun feeling at all. There can be some dark days within the “stuck” experience.
However, something else I discovered is that there are some illuminating days as well. Take this time to lean on Jesus like you never have before. Take this time to vent to Jesus and cry out to Jesus like you never have before. Take this time to dive into His Word and embrace the promises of hope and of deliverance that are written in every book of the Bible. Take this time to let the Holy Spirit speak to you, comfort you, and reassure you that you are God’s child and that He still has a purpose for your life. You may find that there are some parts of you that need to die off. You may find that you have some unlearning and relearning to do. You may find that you have some re-centering to do - taking yourself off of the throne of your heart and giving Jesus his rightful place. In any case, being “stuck” is not the end of the world, but rather the beginning of a new (or renewed) you on a new (renewed) journey with Jesus. This discovery is SO WORTH IT!!
Isaiah 40:31 echoes this sentiment, saying "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
Remember church family, God is for you, God is with you, and God loves you!!
Pastor Chris
