The tent was hot - too hot. We had been camping for over a week with the family and days of humidity and constant activity had led to a head full of frizz and clothes drenched in sweat. I knew I needed to get my swimsuit on. The beach was calling my name... just like the kids tapping on the tent walls.
"Almost done?"
"You ready?"
"Let's go swimming, mom!"
Pulling the suit up over my legs, I called back, "Be right out!"
And then I stopped. Or should I say "it" stopped? I couldn't get the suit to move. It was...stuck - in the most awkward way possible, half up-half down. No amount of pushing, pulling, yanking, twisting, bending, stretching, or jumping had any affect.
Sweat began to pool on my upper lip like my fourteen year old's mustache-attempts.
"Jesus, help me!" I sent heavenward as I did my best to suck in my "s'more a day" camping belly and pulled the suit towards its proper place one more time.
What was I going to do?
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Oh, sister...have you ever been there? Have you ever just felt...stuck?
Not just in a sweaty swimsuit - but in life? In a cycle you keep repeating no matter how badly you want to be free? In a habit you want to get rid of, but you can't seem to shake? In a relationship that feels lifeless that once felt life-giving?
I know I have.
I think we all have.
So...what do we do?
We call for help.
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When I realized that I couldn't "rescue" myself from the twisted predicament I had got myself into and that if I didn't get into my swimsuit quickly I would soon pass out - I called on my husband to save the day. Together, we did what I felt may never be done. We got my suit on. We "unstuck" me.
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If you feel stuck today, can I encourage you to reach for help? Open your Bible, cry out to God, reach out to a praying friend for coffee, seek the counsel of a Godly leader. Don't try to fix it all on your own. Revelation 12:11 says we overcome by the blood of the Lamb - not our own strength or ability. We need God. We need His wisdom, His strategy, and His power. John 8:32 says that the truth will set us free. As we apply His Word to our lives, we will find the freedom our hearts have been longing for.
Stop struggling to "unstick" yourself...reach out, reach up, and reach the freedom you were made for!
