What To Do When You’re Stuck

It was one of our son’s first words. Stuck. He wedged himself behind the couch and cried out, “Stuck!” It was pretty cute, that word, coming from a one-year old with pudgy cheeks and bright eyes. Today I wonder how he knew that word. Well, duh. We taught him. He used to find himself in plenty of stuck places while exploring his new-found freedom as he learned to crawl and totter and walk. Just like me. Today, in honor of my now-adult son, I’m sharing what to do when you’re stuck.

Because in my freedom as a child of God, I get stuck a lot.

Stuck in places where I can’t see my way out. Maybe I made a volunteer commitment without thinking. Sometimes I decide too quickly to buy, sell, change, toss, embrace. Most days as I sit at my desk, it happens with writing. One sentence comes and then another. And then. Nothing.

Stuck.

But is getting stuck* really a bad thing?

In our move-forward-free-yourself culture, getting stuck seems wrong. No matter the situation — I can’t move forward with my plan. I groan; I feel frustrated, anxious, angry; I cry; I regret.

Then I pause.

Why don’t I pause before that happens? Like my toddler, I dive head-first into a place that calls for more space. He could have explored the world behind the couch much easier if there had been space, if I’d moved the couch away from the wall. But he didn’t know that. And he needed to learn.

I still need to learn what that space-before-stuck looks like and what to do when I get stuck.

What to Do When You’re Stuck

Pause. The faster I move, the stucker I get.
Open my eyes. Where am I? How did I get here? What are my options? Our toddler squeezed his eyes shut as he cried. I do that too.
Pray. Actually, this should be the first thing, but let’s be honest. It’s not always the first thing. Ask for wisdom.
Wait. “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!” Psalm 37:7
Watch. Someone is reaching out with a hand, an idea, a solution, a way out. It might be your spouse, a friend, a mentor. For sure it’s God.

But me he caught—reached all the way from sky to sea; he pulled me out Of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos, the void in which I was drowning. They hit me when I was down, but God stuck by me. He stood me up on a wide-open field; I stood there saved—surprised to be loved!
Psalm 18:16-19 (The Message)*

Please know that I’m talking about my own stuck-choices. Sometimes other people’s choices get us in sticky situations. Those can be frustrating, sad, and even tragic times. Especially in those times, we pray, pause, wait, and trust.

The word STUCK at Five Minute Friday link-up, where Christian writers encourage each other and share their free-writing weekly, prompted this post. It is a privilege to be part of this community. Photo by Verne Ho on Unsplash