Getting Un-Stuck (part 1): Develop a Hopeful Attitude

          I remember when the girls were in elementary school—somewhere around 1^st grade up through the indomitable  junior high years.  One day, I just couldn’t handle it anymore.  I felt like I was going crazy.  I distinctly remember feeling like I was stuck on a merry-go-round—and it wasn’t fun.  It felt like I was going ‘round and ‘round, faster and faster, and I couldn’t get off...no matter how hard I tried.  That merry-go-round had piles of “things to do” on it with tentacles that bound me.  I felt stuck...that nothing could change.  It affected everything.  There were no answers.  No one understood.  And I couldn’t do anything about it. 

            The truth was...there were answers.  Being stuck is not really affecting e-v-e-r-y-thing, just specific things.  And even if no person understood me, God did.  And He had answers.  Hope.  Change was possible.  I could do something about it.

            When I stopped to think about the factors that made up this merry-go-round ride, I listed them out, one by one, naming them.  Then I took each culprit, one at a time, and dissected why I was “stuck” at each point.  Focusing on one thing at a time made me feel like I could tackle it—without being overwhelmed.  It also made me notice that not EVERYTHING is on this merry-go-round.

            Then I realized that these factors are not permanent.  Some may be here for a day or so, some for a week or a month, and some maybe for a year or more.  But they won’t be around forever!

            And, change IS possible.  Pray about it.  Ask God how you can change your situation. Even if you can’t change the actual circumstances, you can change your attitude toward them.  Put on a different perspective that says, “I won’t be in this forever, it’s just for now.  I can make the best of it by looking for the good and being grateful for what I can.”  And ask God what you can learn from it.

            My merry-go-round eventually slowed down, and I was able to re-focus and re-energize.  I no longer felt “stuck” in a dizzying cycle of spinning around and around.  Thankfully, life usually comes to us in seasons, just like the weather.  So if you’re feeling stuck right now, just wait and pretty soon you’ll get un-stuck.  Then enjoy it while it lasts!