Stuck


 

As I walked through my neighborhood on this particular day, my eyes were drawn upward as I looked down the block. Something did not seem “right”. Something was going on in the tree tops down the way. Could it be some species of huge bird, out of place and lost on its long flight toward a winter home? I am always up for the unusual, so my mind raced with anticipation as I drew near.
The mystery was solved when I reached the house just before the one with these particular trees. There was no giant bird or other unusual creature. There was only the remnants of a party, snagged high in a tree. Someone’s “Happy Birthday” had gotten loose. Someone’s red balloons had been set free. Well, almost loose. Almost free. They were snagged as they were so close to their freedom. Now they will live on the edge of the sky.
Is there anything worse than feeling stuck? Is there anything as bad as being so close to where we want to be and then, at the last minute, being snagged by what we are working so hard to leave behind? Past experiences and memories. Old habits. Addictions. Choices and decisions that come back to haunt us again and again. We start to soar and can see the open sky, then are caught short once again.
The apostle captures this experience in these words, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” They knew what is was like to want to change, to work for change, and to commit to change, only to be snagged on their old life time and time again. We are not alone in this struggle. Sometimes the struggle in visible, we are tangled in the tree for all to see. At other times we may hide it well, but within we know the pain and sense of failure once again.
The good news is that even this struggle takes place within the circle of God’s grace. In the next line the Apostle writes, “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! Even when we are snagged on our past, God is with us. Even when we feel we will never quite get free, God is at work. Grace surrounds us. Grace holds us up. Grace will get us through.
Peace.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

God is at Work

Image
In the early morning I was struck with this image. It seems to have it all. Green leaves. Red leaves. Clouds. Blue sky. The cross high and lifted up to the sky. It seemed to me that there was the stuff of several good photos in this one place and at one time. So I took the picture. Life is like that more often than not, isn't it? Good and bad. Happy and sad. Calm and chaos. Peace and turmoil. The season of Advent and the celebration of Christmas acknowledges this reality. The people of old resigned to their fate, yet hoping in the future. John the Baptist bringing the good news that the time had come, yet thundering away at one and all. Mary afraid, yet faithful. A baby is born that changes everything, yet the world remains still weary and violent. But, in the midst of all this, in the midst of the whiplash of everyday life, God is at work. God is present. God is calling. In all of it. In every bit of it. Through it all, God is with us. During these holidays, when joy can be mixed ...
Read more

Home

Image
  I came across this interesting tree the other morning. I was immediately transported back to my childhood and one of my favorite boyhood books, “My Side of the Mountain”. It was about a boy who went off by himself to live in the woods and to find everything he needed provided by nature. I don’t recall how many times I read that book in my elementary school years, but it was plenty. As I recall, he made his home in a tree that had a natural door, much like this one. I dreamed of following in his footsteps and doing the same in the woods behind my house. I never did. Home comes in all kinds of versions. Opulent mansions. Simple cabins. Modest middle-sized houses. Some people have the amazing ability to create home even when they are without a physical home. There are heroes who keep family together through tough transitions and the hardest of times. They commit to staying connected. They love one another. They are accountable to each other as they lift up the heart of what it means...
Read more

Loving Embrace by Barry Hughes

Image
One of the joys of walking each day is passing my neighbors. I may not know their names, but I feel I know many of them from our shared walks. I have names for them in my head, based on the dogs they walk or at what place on my route I usually pass them each day. I am amazed at how many people seem to be creatures of habit, like myself, walking the same course at the same time every day. I must admit that I do wonder, from time to time, what name they have given me as they pass me every day. On occasion, I see people who are new to me. On this morning I came upon the scene of a woman leaving a house for her walk. Suddenly, two small boys rushed out, barefoot and dressed in pajamas, urging her to wait. She stopped and turned, and with beatific smile embraced both boys and shared a few joyful moments with each. It was a touching and heartwarming sight. I imagined that the woman is grandmother to the boys. She is here visiting and these boys awoke as she walked out the door. They did not ...
Read more