Are You Stuck?

One of the things I love most about this ministry is how people share their hearts with me. Sometimes, it’s via a comment. Other times, it’s a private message or email. And sometimes I even get to interact with you face to face. It turns out that by being vulnerable with you, you are willing to be vulnerable with me. It is a beautiful gift of transparency.

With this gift, I get a peek into your brokenness. I get hints at your discontentment with yourself and living in this broken world. I sense your desire for life to be bigger and more fulfilling. I see you “waiting” for the next season of life, hoping it will be the one that makes you happy. I catch you dismissing or delaying your dreams.

I get it. Dreams don’t pay the bills. We don’t know where to start. We don’t know how to change our habits or our way of thinking. So, oftentimes, we do nothing and eventually, we feel stuck. This post is for the person who feels stuck because I want better for you than for you to stay where you are, and God does too.

So, if you are ready to take a step forward, here are three simple ways to START moving forward.

1. Be sincere before God with our dreams and discontentment. 
So many times when I have felt stuck, it’s because I’m in a season of quiet rebellion with God. I’ve stopped reading and pondering the scripture. I’ve become content with my relationship with God so I stop pursuing Him. Before I know it, I’m so worried about the day ahead, focused on my inability rather than God’s ability.

This the first step because without Jesus’s partnership, any dream will fail to bring contentment. Without Jesus, there is no getting unstuck. He is our constant strength and source of all that is good within us. Trusting in Him propels our progress.

2. Connect with someone who can help you make progress in the right direction. 
Asking for help might be the hardest part of getting unstuck, but it’s absolutely necessary. Few of us can find the strength to wiggle loose from the mud and mire of the world on our own. We need a hand to pull us forward. See someone who has had a similar struggle and ask to have coffee. Make that appointment with your boss to discuss ways you can find more fulfillment at work. Talk to your spouse or partner about the desire God has laid on your heart.

3. Start by loving the people in your path. When asked, Jesus said that loving God and loving others are the two BIG things of this life. With these words, He gave us the roadmap to greater fulfillment. Open the door for someone. Smile at them. Look them in the eye. Find beauty in people and tell them what you see. Share what you are grateful for and draw people to our Creator in doing so.

Keep dreaming, believing and doing the next right thing. God doesn’t waste anything, even our stuck places.