When was the last time you felt stuck—that feeling of not knowing how to move forward or when your actions are not making much difference to change your life circumstances?

Whenever I feel like my world is getting a little smaller and everything around me starts to feel the same, I recognize that I might be in a season of stuckness. I become aware that my heart is desiring something new. Sometimes, I do not even know what the change is I am looking for, but the desire is genuine. 

There are so many aspects of our lives where we can bump into these pockets of stalling out and feeling stuck. This space of wanting more, something new, a place to thrive. This sense of stuckness can show up in our relationships, when health issues are not improving, in our finances, employment, parenting, and even in our mental and spiritual health. 

Throw in fear, limited resources, circumstances beyond our control, lack of clarity or vision, little support and encouragement… ugh. All the things that can keep us from moving forward. 

So what do we do?

I tend to bulldoze myself through it. Get unstuck as quickly as possible. I grew up in rural Iowa farm country, and even though I never had an incident of getting my car stuck on those gravel roads, I knew that my dad or a friendly neighbor had a tractor ready to pull my car out if I ever needed it. Tractors and neighbors made me feel safe. Easy peasy. 

Stuckness in our daily lives is not that easy though, is it?  It can feel messy and hard, painful and even helpless at times. It can spring up restlessness and anxiety in the uncertainty of it all. Of course, we would naturally want to put our energy into getting unstuck and back to a place of safety and confidence in what we are up to. 

But what if we give ourselves permission to slow down in these seasons of stuckness?  Challenge ourselves to zoom in and see this as a season of transition. Pay attention to this space right before something new happens. 

What if we accept this as an invitation to take a deep breath, relax momentarily, and use this season as a time to explore and discover? 

What if we open up to curiosity, ask questions, and welcome this as a space for discernment?  Use this time to ask what you notice about yourself, about others, or about God. To explore what you actually need or if there is something you need to let go of and surrender. 

What if this season becomes a place to practice a bit of courage or find a wise person to seek counsel from? Is there a new spiritual practice or skill to develop? 

As we enter the season of Lent, I find myself engaging in this practice of zooming in. Paying close attention to what Jesus was up to during this time. I wonder if Jesus’ pace became a little slower as he navigated those days before the cross.  My heart wants to walk slowly with Jesus and notice. 

Wherever you feel stuck today, give yourself permission to zoom in, pay attention, and trust that this looking inward will grow you and your impact outward. 

May you remember how Jesus trusted that God already had a bigger plan before him.

May you remember how Jesus relied on others even when they did not have all the right answers.

May you remember how deeply Jesus relied on his connection to the Father to show him each next step.