Friday, February 27, 2015

Just Stuck

Being stuck is worse than being in a rut.  No, I’m not talking about the side streets in Chicago in February,  I’m talking about life.   Being stuck in a situation or place for some time usually results in some form of emotional angst, from simple frustration to full-blown anger.   Regardless of how quick we are to go from frustration to anger, all of us dislike it when we are not making progress and feeling like we are stuck.

Sometimes, we wonder exactly what God may be doing in our life when we feel stuck.  All of us experience times when we have been waiting for something to happen. Perhaps a new job, a solution to some family situation or often it's something even more frustrating. Waiting on God when things are really not going well is rough. And, for some reason, the time often keeps passing without much relief in sight.

A few years ago, I learned some lessons from a time of "feeling stuck" and while I'm not fully equipped to explain why God often puts us in situations where we feel that we are stuck, let me articulate some of my thoughts:

Thought #1: Being stuck may be better than where you were headed.

The rock and Roll song "American Pie", by Don McLean, has a reference in the lyrics "the day the music died, " to the deaths of rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson.  These three and their pilot climbed into a four-seater plane in 1959 and all died when the plane went down on a snowy February evening. Waylon Jennings, in his 20’s at the time, and a future Country Music superstar, had given up his seat in the plane to the Big Bopper and survived.

The Bible is full of examples of people that were stuck.  The people of Israel in the desert and again in Babylon.  Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as well as King David, to name just of few of the obvious, were men that felt stuck for years while God worked on their character.  Back then and to this day, God prepares individuals, nations and events specifically for a later time when things would fit together and we would see the fulfillment of His specific callings and purposes. Don't be so quick to see a lack of momentum as wasted time; being stuck is better than sinking into rebellion from God and His purpose for your life.

Thought #2: Being stuck is needed sometime to cool off

Galatians 5:22 is the verse that lists what the Apostle Paul identifies as the "Fruits of the Spirit" and this great list includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This word "patience" is translated "longsuffering" in the King James version which is a great way of understanding patience.  The Greek word being translated "Patience" is makrothumia which literally means being "long-tempered". I like that definition as it is the opposite of short-tempered.

I think most of us can understand that sometimes we just need to cool off.  Back a few years ago (it seems like a different life), I was a securities principal and broker and worked with stocks, bonds and public companies. The SEC requires a "cooling off period" of a minimum of 20 days from the time a public company files a prospectus or written intentions of selling securities and the actual public offering of the securities. While most CEOs dislike the 20 days of waiting, the SEC understands that even companies need to "cool off" before they offer huge blocks of ownership of their company to the general public.

Thought #3, Being Stuck can be an active way of waiting

I’ve noticed that some people find a way to remain productive when the rest of us are just stuck. We don't like waiting but it really seems like it's a necessary part of life. It’s also a very important ingredient of our spiritual life. In the Bible, God often tells His people to wait. For example, Psalm 27:14 says, "Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord." From God's perspective, it's often better to wait.

Finally, our waiting on the Lord is to be active not passive. In Isaiah we are given the word picture that waiting is like an eagle that flies by fixing his wings and riding the wind. Isaiah 40:31 says, "Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary."

So, remember, you are not just stuck. You may be in a very special place in God's plan and there are always lessons to be learned.


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