GETTING UNSTUCK

“Humble yourself before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” -James 4.10

My grandson Jake has just celebrated his second Christmas. I couldn’t be with him this year, so I couldn’t share in the excitement and wonderment of his celebration. But the time I have spent with him (he leaves in Kentucky, over 500 miles away), I am always in awe with the joy he has as he discovers the world around him and makes new steps in his life.

Those of us who have been around a lot longer sometimes lose that sense of adventure and expectation. Over the years our lives have accumulated a lot of baggage (both emotional and physical) that seems to define us and dictate our direction. We have a “past” that makes us cautious or pessimistic about our future. Or some of us have simply gotten “stuck” and we don’t know how to move forward. Things like old hurts that won’t go away, pride-filled reams that still do not satisfy, conflicts that hang around unresolved—but are reaching the boiling point, a sense of loneliness that leaves us overwhelmed have us bogged down and weighed down.

It’s a far cry from the promise of God for our lives, “I have come to give you life to the full.” Too much is leaking away and we no longer believe things will change. That’s where we need a dose of God’s life transforming power. No another self-help plan, a better skill set, more knowledge—but letting God take control of our lives and then working in cooperation with Him.

Philippians 4:13 tells us, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” That means we have humbled ourselves and finally let God into our lives to work in and through us. Are you “stuck?” Make it your New Year’s resolution to let God take His proper place at the core of your being, cooperating with Him as He unleashes His transforming power.

© 2009 by Stephen L. Dunn