Stuck– Have you ever felt like you’re just going through the motions, like you’re just going through life and nothing really seems to be happening? At times we all struggle through life and feel as though we are accomplishing nothing. I call this “being stuck in a rut.” There have been countless times in my life when it has felt like I was stuck in a rut mentally, spiritually, and physically.
On one unforgettable occasion I really got stuck in a rut. I decided to go scouting in a familiar spot not considering the recent rain we had received, or the fact that this place naturally had enormous mud holes. In addition to my ignorance, my parents and grandparents were out of town on vacation. So ignoring the obvious I decided to go anyway. I made it to the spot where I wanted to scout with little trouble. After seeing what I wanted to see, I turned around and started out. I got big-headed and decided to test the 4WD in my jeep. I was going through one of the mud holes just fine when my front tires slipped into a deep rut with my back tires quickly following.
It is amazing how easily this moment translates into my spiritual life. So many times I get a big head and think I can control my life. I fool myself into thinking everything is going well when all of a sudden I’m stuck and sinking in my sins and selfish desires, many times struggling with the same sins and not feeling any closer to God. There have been times when I have struggled with the same sins for years. Romans 7:15 speaks directly to me; “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.”
The momentum of my jeep carried me just feet short of being on solid drivable ground. When I came to a stop, I tried rocking my jeep front and back, side to side, anything to see if I could get any tires to touch ground. To my disappointment it wouldn’t budge. I was high centered. Four wheel drive does you no good when your tires are not able to touch the ground. I was truly stuck. Panic immediately entered my mind. I was stuck on a dead end road. No one was likely to be coming down, and nobody knew I was there. Regaining my senses as quickly as I could and laying my pride aside, I called my best friends who quickly came to my rescue.
It’s good to have friends that will help and encourage us instead of get us in trouble and cut us down. It is even better to know God, the creator, who can help us out of any situation that we find ourselves in. Even when the situation we are in is our own fault, God is willing to rescue us if in the end we call on Him. This means laying our pride aside and allowing God to do his work.