Can I Really Start Over?Sample

Do you feel stuck in life?

I've often used the word STUCK to describe my current situation. Like I'm trying to run through a pool, I've felt a resistance holding me back from moving forward. I know what I want to do, but I don't do it. In some instances, I've found that resistance discouraging me to the point where I've even given up entirely. My inner thoughts sound like, "Why keep trying if I'm going to keep failing? How can I keep going when everything seems to be getting harder?"

If you feel stuck in the present, I wonder if your obstacle is how you see both the present and the future. Sometimes, it's easier to stay stuck in the present than to face what lies in our future. It may be a risk we'll have to face to move forward. It could be pain that terrifies us. I've even gotten stuck because I wondered if I had enough faith to move towards what lies ahead.

Several years ago, I listened to a pastor named Tom share a fascinating framework explaining why I felt tempted to give up. He called the framework "the lifecycle of spiritual maturity." In unpacking this model, he said, "Healthy things grow, growing things change, change requires risk, risk requires faith, and faith makes you healthy." Like a wheel, this cycle started and ended with the word "healthy." However, the cycle moved through intense territory, including change and risk.

When you think of the words "change" and "risk," what comes to mind? Are there some changes you need to make? Risks you've been putting off? We often feel stuck in the present because of something we're avoiding in the future. While we love the idea of growth and health, we usually don't love the painful path we'd have to walk to get to those destinations.

If anyone knew the kind of pain growth brings, it was the Apostle Paul. In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul lists the many adversities he faced, including shipwrecks, beatings, imprisonments, and other dangers. Paul was well-acquainted with suffering.

While Paul wanted to ensure the Corinthians knew his commitment to Jesus and the church's mission, he wrote in another of his letters about where his focus remained. In Philippians 3, Paul described his many achievements (which mirrored his adversity list in 2 Corinthians 11). However, after listing his glorious past, Paul clarifies that he continues to pursue something he has not obtained.

He wrote, "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Paul never let his past achievements or adversities distract him from the prize before him. He didn't get stuck in the present because he felt God had taken hold of him and was pressing forward to grasp all God had for him.

I'm so glad I didn't give up because you wouldn't be reading these words if I had. Several years ago, I considered giving up writing. I pursued publishing a book and experienced several rejections. I wrote daily, even weekly, with little engagement or response. I felt like a failure. In the middle of that season, God used a couple of emails out of the blue to renew my passion and vision for writing.

Today, that passion burns brighter than ever. Sure, I've had some great times and accomplishments in the past, but God has more in store for me. And He has much more in store for you, too!

This month, one year ago, I was struggling to start over. I wasn't even sure I wanted to return to my job as a pastor after my sabbatical. That is until I discovered the final obstacle and God's plan for me to overcome it! I'm so excited to share it with you!