Stuck

I enjoy traveling.  Well, let me back up.  I enjoy getting to my destination, but I can’t say I really enjoy the travel part.  This past year our family experienced some traveling woes.  In April my husband and I were invited to the Bahamas with his work.  For four nights and five days we were wined, dined and entertained to our heart’s content.  Then came the trip home with a flight change in Houston.  Need I say more?  Houston and a severe thunderstorm mean big delays for air travel.

Then in August we were packed and ready to go to the Gulf Coast of Florida, but a hurricane decided to blow in before our arrival.  So, we had to make last minute arrangements that didn’t include the beach vacation we had dreamed about.

We had the privilege of getting to know a few airports more than I would have liked.  Yes, we were stuck.  Waiting for flights. Waiting on the tarmac. Waiting for an airplane toilet be emptied—that’s another story for another post.

We have all been stuck at one point or another; stuck in line, stuck in traffic, or more seriously, stuck in a job, stuck in a relationship or stuck in the past.

The New Year is always portrayed as a time of new beginnings, but what about those of us that feel stuck?

I will admit that I have had a hard time getting motivated about 2013.  I feel caught, maybe even a little trapped, in my current life situation.  Last year at this time we were planning our summer vacation and looking forward to a spring getaway.  In August we listed our home and worked hard to get it sold. We moved to a new house in October and at warp speed unpacked, decorated and finished a bathroom just in time for Holiday guests.  This year is just not as exciting.  The move is over. The trips have been taken.  I’m not even sure what to plan. I’m feeling stuck.

Instead of just enjoying this season of rest, I’m rest-less and ready for the next big decision and project.  I’m reflecting on 2012 too much instead of looking forward to the future, or more importantly, just living in the present moment.

But one thing I do: Forgetting what lies behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on. Philippians 3:13-14

I recently read an interpretation of this scripture by Christian author and speaker, Germaine Copeland.  She writes, “I am bringing all my energies to bear on this one thing: regardless of my past, I look forward to what lies ahead.”

I love that interpretation.  I don’t believe we are called to forget our past, but regardless of it, we are given the freedom and the ability to move forward in Christ.  We serve a God who wants us to experience freedom.  And isn’t freedom the opposite of stuck?

Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1

Maybe you are not completely stuck, but I believe we all have areas in our life where we feel trapped to some degree.  Thankfully we serve a God much bigger than our past, and through His Word, guidance and faithfulness, He will teach us how to move forward.

So, next time you hear these words, and I hope you don’t, “Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We are about eighth in line for take off, so it will be a while.”  Don’t think of it as being stuck.  Sit back, relax (as the captain will also say) and enjoy these precious moments you have been given.