Stuck in the Mud

When I was a little girl, my mom and I went for a walk through the trees and trails on our property. I wore boots, so I wasn’t too worried about all the mud from a recent rain.

I was making my way through the thick sludge, putting one foot in front of the other and realizing my boots were starting to get pretty heavy.  Finally they wouldn’t budge at all.

I tugged and pulled with everything I had, feeling different muscles in my feet and legs screaming at the absurd torture. But my boots wouldn’t even wiggle. It’s as if they suddenly developed an attitude, stubbornly refusing to move and laughing because now they were stronger than me, and I wasn’t going to tell them what to do anymore, thank you very much.

It got me thinking this morning…

How often do we feel stuck? Stuck in debt or an illness? Stuck waiting for an answer so we can move forward, knowing then which way to go?

Maybe our “mud” is in the form of anxiety or fear or even bitterness and we don’t know how to escape the muck. (Read more on that here.)

The day I got stuck in the mud, I called my mom and she came to my rescue, pulling my feet out of my boots and then wiggling those stubborn beasts free as they let out a loud slurping roar. (We had a good laugh as I stood there in my socks!)

When you and I get stuck in our lives we can call out to God, and He will come to our rescue.

I’ve learned He sometimes allows us to wait for the rescue for a number of reasons:

He wants us to know the rescue, the glory belong to Him; we can’t get unstuck by ourselves.

He may want to stop us to protect us from what’s up ahead.

He may be preparing a blessing up ahead, and it’s not ready. Or we’re not ready.

He may be teaching us this path is not for us.

And sometimes this may be the only way He can slow some of us down so we will spend time with Him. (Any other caffeinated gung-ho-ers out there?)

The point is if you feel stuck, the moment you cry out to God He hears you. The answer and the rescue will come. Just sit tight (or stand if you can’t get those boots off!) and wait for Him. He will never let you down.

“In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears…He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.” (Psalm 18:6, 16 NIV.) *

*If you’re really struggling, needing God’s rescue, try reading all of Psalm 18 out loud…so powerful!

(Photo from Pexels.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

When God Asks You to Go for a Walk

When the sunlight began to dance across the snowy dunes early one morning, I was like a little kid rushing to go sled riding as I threw on my coat over my pajamas, pulled on my boots, and grabbed my camera. I just knew God was asking me to go for a walk, and I couldn’t wait!

I crunched my way around our yard, taking shots of this amazing scene God had created. The shadows from the trees stretched like charcoal drawings across the ground that appeared like white marble.

These unusual forms from blowing wind and ice stood by our driveway, something to admire and ponder like sculptures in a museum.

And the ground itself resembled layers of waves on the ocean, the wind pushing them to some unseen shore.

I marveled at everything, thanking God and being especially grateful when the sun began to warm my gloves (and my camera battery!). Looking back, it really was like walking through an untouched museum, one I was allowed to capture with my camera.

I snapped shots of a weeping cherry with limbs coated in ice, its shadow resembling a dark dandelion going to seed.

I thought it was pretty when the light hit the icy coating and sparkled like glitter. I tried to capture that sparkle, but every time I took the shot, it seemed the glitter disappeared. So I grabbed one more photograph, a random shot of a chunk of ice hanging from the end of one of the branches before moving on.

It wasn’t until I went inside and downloaded the photographs on my computer that I realized there was more to that simple photograph than I’d noticed at a glance.

Tucked inside, preserved in ice, there appeared to be delicate snowflakes. I never would have noticed them if I hadn’t taken the time to look closer, had I dismissed the photo as being “too simple.”

Sometimes, my friends, we have to slow down and look closer. God may ask you to go for a walk, take a break from social media, or put down the phone. (It can be that simple!) And maybe when you do, you’ll find those hidden gems – that peace, those answers, and the direction you’ve been searching for all along, just waiting to be discovered in God’s amazing presence.

“You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.” (Psalm 16:11 NLT.)

The Eye of the Storm

I was talking to God about you last night.  I asked Him what He wanted to tell you, what you needed to hear.  We were about to watch a movie and during the previews a Scripture came to my mind, and I knew it was for you.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Maybe you’re overwhelmed, stressed-out, burned-out, or just plain worn-out right now, and you’re wondering how long is this going to last?  Do you feel like you’re in a storm, a chaotic rush of things needing done or people demanding more of you, and you feel you have nothing more to give?  Do you feel like it’s knocking the wind right out of you and you can’t breathe?

Jesus knows.  He sees you right now.  Imagine Him offering you His hand with this sort of expression that says, “Come here and catch your breath for a minute.  Rest with me.”

Maybe you’re wondering, “How can I rest?  I have too much to do.”

Let’s keep going with what Jesus said:

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”    

Okay, what in the world?  A yoke?

A few years ago we went to an Amish farm and saw this massive, black ox yoked to a smaller one.  I had never seen an ox up close before nor had I ever seen one yoked to another.  When I started to pet the big guy, he turned so I could scratch his face in another area that must have itched (or maybe he wanted to get a better look at the woman who was “oohing” and “ahhing” about how beautiful he was).  Whatever the reason, when he turned, the little guy beside him did too.  Whenever the big guy stuck his mouth into the food trough, the little one had to follow along.

So I have to ask, who or what are you yoked to that is wearing you out?  What are you following?  The world?  Let’s narrow it down a bit…are you yoked to people instead of Jesus?  People may try to go easy on you but sometimes they’ll hurt you or overwhelm you.  Some may even load up the guilt if you don’t perform to their standards or do what they think you should be doing.  Not Jesus.  He’s “gentle and humble in heart.”  He’s not going to burn you out.  Why would He?  He loves you, and He doesn’t want to see you suffering with anxiety or panic attacks.  He has more for you.

But isn’t a yoke a form of bondage?

Jesus said, “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

What?  Something that’s easy and light?  That doesn’t sound like bondage but freedom. If you yoke yourself to Jesus you’ll not only be able to breathe and the heaviness you’ve been carrying will be lifted off your shoulders, but you’ll be doing what you were created to do.  No more overload.  No more panic attacks.  Just like the eye of a storm, there will be peace like you’ve never imagined.  It’s as if God will hold back the world from burning you out like He held back the Red Sea.  No more guilt (unless you allow it), no more hives (unless you eat something you’re allergic to), and no more wondering what in the world you’re supposed to do with your life.  Jesus has it all.  All the answers and all the calm.  Yoke yourself to Him, and you’ll see and do things you never dreamed.

How do I know?  Because this wasn’t just for you…it was for me too.  And I’ve finally come to the eye of the storm.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  (Matthew 11:28-30 NIV.)