When We're Stuck

Life can overwhelm us with a variety of difficult things - cruel people, hard jobs, financial instability, and broken relationships, just to name a few. My first instinct is to just run away! But that isn't an appropriate response. So what should we do when we're "stuck" in the lives we didn't plan?

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I'm going to be completely honest today and tell you, yes, I've heard 1 Peter 5:7 my entire life! I was consistently taught this in church and at home. It's a very popular verse, "Cast all your cares upon Him because He cares for you." It's definitely an encouraging verse! But let's take a look at the verse which precedes that one. 1 Peter 5:6 says, "Humble yourself therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time."

I am also a reader of the Message Bible and it's translation reads:

So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; He’ll promote you at the right time. 

I'm not trying to tell you to just give up. If you aren't living the life you always planned and you can change it, take some action! Change the things you can! But sometimes, our timing is just wrong. I believe that God gives us seasons of life when we just feel stuck. We can't change anything about it, but it is then we surrender or humble ourselves before God. We learn to be content with who and where we are and not forgot that God is watching us. He has a plan for our future and when the time is right, a door will open or an opportunity will rise. Our timing is different from God's and if you're like me, patience isn't easy. But I have a feeling that God's plan will be worth the wait!

Psalm 37:2 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act. 

I pray that today, we will quit worrying about our situations. I pray that we will fully humble ourselves before God, and that we would rely completely on Him. I surrender this to Him and I am done feeling such negativity about where I am. I hope that if you are going through something difficult, you will find the courage to give it up and hand it to Him as well.

This is just a quick devotion today, but it's something I've been dealing with lately. I hope that some of you can relate to this, but even if it was just for myself, I wanted to share.

Singleness

All the single ladies (and men), this one is for you.

Have you ever felt alone in a world full of married couples and fiances?  I've certainly been in those shoes before. And those shoes aren't comfortable. Some say they are called by God to be single, and that can be  true! God does call some people to lead single lives. The apostle Paul, for example, shares some insight into his lifelong singleness:

31Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away.

32I want you to be free from the concerns of this life. An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord’s work and thinking how to please him. 33But a married man has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife. 34His interests are divided. In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in spirit. But a married woman has to think about her earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband. (1 Corinthians 7:31-34 NLT)

Paul shares that it is actually a blessing to be single. Still unsure how being alone can be joyful? Well, if we are Christians, we aren't alone. We have a gracious and loving Father who knows us better than we know ourselves! He created us. He knew the story line of our life before we even began playing our role.

16You saw me before I was born.

Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out

before a single day had passed. (Psalm 139:16)

And He knows what is best for us. But these verses don't imply that God has called all of us to be single.  I don't believe God just ignores a true desire for companionship. We all know He created Eve for Adam, so Adam would no longer be lonely. But that doesn't mean while we are single, we should be whining about our loneliness, just waiting for God to drop our future spouse from heaven (complete with an angelic chorus and glowing engagement ring.)

Now is a golden opportunity in our lives. We should spend this time focusing our time and energy on serving and pleasing God, while we don't have the pressure of pleasing a mate. We should be utilizing this time to become the best servants of God that we can be! I truly believe that if we live for God, He will make good on the promise that He will bless us.

So even in these times of loneliness, let us not forget to Whom we belong:

19So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. 20Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22 NLT)

We are never alone if we belong to God. The relationship we share with Him is more important than any earthly relationship we can build. What can you be pouring your love and energy into right now, while waiting for the one God has planned for you? Maybe you need to start reading your Bible or praying. Maybe you already do those things, but need to start serving. Serving can be as simple as sending an elder a card or buying a stranger's lunch. Let us single folk make a pact to work on our relationship with God before we go on a search for "a soul mate".