DILEMMA: In a recent weekend sermon, I discussed how the ancient Israelites got “un-stuck” from 400 years of slavery in Egypt. However, within days of getting un-stuck from slavery, they found themselves stuck again, only this time they were stuck between the Red Sea and a fast approaching Egyptian army that had come to re-claim their slaves. In essence, they were “re-stuck.”

Our lives are often like the Israelites. We can find ourselves getting “un-stuck” in one area of life (e.g. habits, thoughts, relationships, past) only to get “re-stuck” in another area. It can feel like a continuous struggle with seemingly no way out, and life can make us feel immobilized, without hope, and resigned to the “same-old-same-old.”

The key thing to note is God doesn’t necessarily mind seeing you in a “stuck” state. In the case of the Israelites, God actually LED them to the place of being stuck (Exodus 13: 17,18). However, God never wants you to STAY stuck indefinitely. Be encouraged: if you are stuck (or re-stuck) someplace in your life, it can be just the beginning of a new opportunity to grow, to learn, and to see God work in and through you.

DELIGHT: The delight in our “stuck” areas of life is that NO circumstance is too stuck for God to help get un-stuck. I’ve seen people become un-stuck who were stuck in the “damage” of life. I know a friend who was a “homeless executive.” He had just gone through a divorce, had nowhere to turn, and he was literally (and secretly) sleeping in his office after work. He turned his life over to God, his ex-wife did too, and they’ve been happily remarried to each other for years!

Likewise, no physical disablement or disease is too stuck for God. I have a friend who was born with cerebral palsy and is confined as a paraplegic to a wheel chair. He begged God for a job, wanting to serve a purpose and use his love for people to help others. He’s got a great testimony on Facebook now about his new job at a local theme park. Now he helps brighten the days of others…no longer “stuck.”

In my recent book “Un-Stuck,” I unpack all of this information and more in greater detail. I encourage you to get a copy. The book was written as an accompaniment to the CLC Un-Stuck sermon series about growth and progress in our personal lives. You can buy the book from the publisher (CreateSpace) or Amazon.