There will always be circumstances or situations in our lives that cause us to get stuck. We’ve got to keep fighting to move forward with faith.
I grew up in this lovely place called the Lowcountry, where mossy oak trees, salty rivers and pluff mud are just a few of the things that adorn its beauty. Pluff mud. You may have heard of it? It’s the stinky stuff that you smell in the marsh as you drive across the coastal waterway bridges.
Playing in the pluff mud with my Meema is one of my favorite past times. As I recall, every Saturday we would put on our boots and head over to Stoney Creek and truck around in the mud searching for treasures, swinging on trees and chasing hermit crabs. We would begin our journey, over and under the mossy oaks and through the salty marsh grass. Sometimes through our hike, my foot would get so stuck in that mud that I could hardly pull it out. Meema would be a few feet ahead of me and would have to reach back and grab my arm and together we would finally break my foot free from the mud. Can’t that be a constant resemblance of our lives sometimes?
Getting unstuck…
Do you ever feel like you’re stuck somewhere and you just can’t get out? I feel you friend, I’ve been there. That place is all too familiar to me. But, our God does not want us to stay stuck in the pluff mud of life.
…you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
1 Peter 2:9, NLT
A Chosen priesthood, called out of darkness into His light. He calls us out of our valleys and He calls us out of the pluff mud! God wants the best for us but we have to be willing to move in His direction if we want to have His best for ourselves.
Those times that I couldn’t get my foot unstuck, Meema was there to help me. It wasn’t until I reached back and grabbed her arm that we were, together, able to get my foot out of the mud. God is there. He is reaching out to pull us out of our mud, we’ve just got to reach back and grab on to Him. Just as David declares:
He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.
Psalm 40:2, NLT
I remember hearing the suction of the mud against my boot as I would try and pull my foot out. With a tug here and a tug there, when I was finally able to pull my foot free, the feeling of relief swept over me. Then, Meema and I would continue to move forward in our hike.
There will always be circumstances or situations in our lives that cause us to get stuck, emotionally stuck, physically stuck, mentally stuck, but we’ve got to keep fighting to pull that foot up and put it in front of the other and keep moving forward, faith forward. And if we’re smart, we’ll ask for the Fathers help, to pull us out of the muddy circumstances of our lives and help us move forward in our journey through life.
If I could encourage you in one thing, it would be this: Don’t be afraid of the mountain top because you’ve gotten so used to being in the valley. Faith forward friend!
Don't be afraid of the mountain top because you've gotten so used to being in the valley. Click To Tweet
What kind of mud are you stuck in?
