Dr. Meredith Griffin | The Flourishing Life™

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Christian Living

Do These 3 Things When Your Life Feels Stuck

Being stuck in life can feel a lot like being imprisoned. You can see, just beyond your reach, the life you know you’re supposed to live yet you cannot seem to make positive strides toward achieving that life. We’ve all been there. You may be there right now. Take heart in knowing that you are not alone, and there are some simple things you can do to make sure that being stuck doesn’t become your indefinite way of life. 

Image by Ichigo121212 at Pixabay

Full transparency. I have been stuck more than once in my life. I’ve felt stuck professionally, in my marriage, multiple times in my business aspirations, and even in writing things like this article you’re reading now. Initially, I allowed being stuck to make me wonder if I was ever going to see the life I believe God-designed for me. In fact, I’d been stuck professionally for so long that I wondered if I’d even heard God’s calling correctly or was it just my own desire speaking to me. If you’ve been there then you know how this feels.

Did I give up? I didn’t, but there were several times when I wanted to quit. One thing that made the difference for me was the formula from three verses of Scripture that I’d read myriad times.

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Philippians 3:12-14

Sitting in a Roman jail, Paul’s experience of feeling imprisoned wasn’t figurative like ours. But even then he found a way to ensure that this wasn’t his permanent state of being. Here are the lessons we can learn from Paul.

Face the Truth About Where You Are

It’s hard to deny your locked up when you are literally in chains as Paul was in Rome. But sometimes we deny the reality of our current state, believing that it will help us out. It doesn’t. When I know where you are right now, you are able to plan where you are in relation to where you want to be. You are also able to figure out what actions are needed to move in the direction you desire. None of this can happen when you are denying the truth. 

If your marriage is in a bad state, telling yourself that everything is lovely doesn’t help at all. If you are 30 pounds overweight with high cholesterol, denying the numbers on the scale or the results of your bloodwork are the wrong things to do. Instead, you need to recognize where you are right now acknowledging that this isn’t where you want to be.

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection.

Philippians 3:12a

Determine That This Isn’t Where You Will End

If you know where you are, and that it isn’t where God, or you, want to be, then it is easier to make a commitment that this is not the end. When I failed out of college following my freshman year (I was having way too much fun and doing too little work) I determined that my story wouldn’t end there. As I spent the next year working a job in retail, I rose daily realizing that there was a plan for me that included returning to school and completing my degree. Where I was wasn’t going to deter what I knew I was created for. 

Trust me. If it worked for Paul, and it worked for me, it can work for you too. Where you are now, no matter how far from your desired end, doesn’t have to be permanent. It is up to you to develop that mindset, and commit to that truth.

But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.

Philippians 3:12b

Take a Single Action That Moves You Toward Your Goal

Sometimes when you are stuck, trying to get a whole plan for reengagement can seem daunting. So stop trying to get a whole plan. Instead, answer this question. What one thing can you do next that will move me closer to my goal. You don’t need to know or do everything, but just one thing. Think of it like a car stuck in a rut. All you need to do is rock the car loose of the rut and then you can begin moving forward again. All you need to do is take the one action that will get you moving positively toward your intended end, and then you can reengage or retool your plan from there. 

So where are you stuck in lifeIs it your marriage? Is it your health? Is it your profession? Is it your business? Don’t deny the you’re stuck. Face it. Then determine that being stuck isn’t going to be your permanent state. Finally, determine to do just one thing to get yourself moving in the right direction. Maybe its just declaring, like Paul, that the past is the past and you’re forgetting everything that hasn’t worked. I can attest, personally, that these steps have worked for me in every area I’ve discussed. They can work for you too.

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Philippians 3:13b-14

What’s holding you back from doing any of these three things? Are you willing to give these things a try if you’re stuck?

Who’s Vision Will You Pursue in the New Year?

In less than two days we will all be saying farewell to 2009, and hello to 2010. For many people the end of year routine will be the same; they will set a course for the new year, things to accomplish in the coming twelve months. As a Christian and pastor, I must pose the following question: who’s vision will you pursue in the new year?

Watch night services across the country will be populated with people looking for a fresh start, and preachers in pulpits eager to tell them that one is on the way. New money, new jobs, new businesses, new relationships, new jobs, new academic degrees…will all be spoken of as God’s vision for you in the new year. Many churches will ensure that we jam our way out of the old year and into the new. Men and women will leave church feeling wonderful about what is in store, but will they have a clear understanding of the vision that they should pursue?

We weren’t saved from an eternity of separation from the God who loves and created us, so that we can become self-indulgent in ways that previous generations could only imagine. In other words…its not about us! God has a vision, and it is that vision that we ought to pursue daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. God’s vision entails those who belong to him being holy. His vision sees those who are called by his name desiring to serve others, rather than being served themselves. The vision that God has is for a people who shun sin and selfishness, in order to pursue righteousness and selflessness. In God’s vision, those who are called by his name remember that their bodies are not their own…they have been bought with a price. God’s vision holds reconciled relationships, selfless service to others, sharing his message of love with the world through word and deed.

I don’t doubt that those who belong to God are taken care of by him. I don’t doubt that God takes great care of everything and everyone that belongs to him. The Bible tells us that Solomon couldn’t adorn himself like the lillies that God took dressed in splendor. The Bible speaks of God’s great care for the well-being of birds, though they have no barns. God will care for those he loves. Since this is the case, our personal care is not the vision that we should pursue primarily in any given year. We should desire and envision being servants of the most high God. We should envision using everything that he has given us to glorify his name and advance his mission in the earth. Who’s vision will you pursue in the new year, your’s or God’s?