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.
