Unstuck – Week Two

Shortly before our departure, the small team gathered for a sweet time of prayer, encouragement, and sharing how we saw God work. With our time of serving complete, we were ready to go home.

Anticipating traffic from holiday celebrations in the streets, our drivers allowed extra time to ensure we would not miss our flight, so we arrived at the Nicaraguan airport with time to spare. Check-in went smoothly, and we were on our way. At least that’s what we thought until we saw the words dreaded by all travelers – flight delay.

At first, our predicted wait time was short, but after a few hours, the airlines informed us our new flight time was 4:00 am. Ugh. With nowhere to go, we settled in for the night, unsuccessfully attempting to sleep on the hard metal seats. Eventually, our plane arrived; we boarded and made our way to the US.

Finally, we arrived in Florida only to find ourselves stuck yet again. The custom’s line wrapped down and around the long hallway, while our next flight time quickly approached. Hours later, passports and luggage verified, we learned that we had indeed missed our next flight. Even with switching airlines, we were stuck in the Fort Lauderdale airport for the next twelve hours. By the time I eventually made it home the following day, I had a new appreciation for my shower and bed. Oh, and for the many times, I have traveled without getting stuck in the airport overnight.

You know, often life can feel a lot like that 36-hour travel period. We quickly drop from high to low. One moment we are rejoicing and victorious, the next unexpected problems arise. Things take longer to transpire than we anticipated. Unforeseen circumstances leave us stuck in places we hoped to pass quickly through or altogether avoid. But unlike my travel scenario, often, our next steps are unclear. We don’t know how to get back on track. And we don’t know how to get unstuck.

So what do we do when the days seem long – we are weary and tired, and find ourselves stuck? Something I continually remind myself of is that I am on a journey. If I only focus on the snapshot of where I am today, I will likely become frustrated and disappointed. But where I am today, what I am experiencing now, is part of something much bigger and much greater than me.

The apostle Paul wrote a letter of encouragement to the church in Corinth. He opens by reminding these believers that when we face abundant suffering, God comforts us in abundance. In other words, God never promised a problem-free life, but He promises to comfort us and use every circumstance we face for good.

Later in his writing, Paul spoke directly to those who were ready to throw in the towel, to those who had lost hope. “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16 NASB)

When Paul wrote these words, he wasn’t in denial. Paul was no stranger to pain and suffering. He faced persecution and death threats because He followed Jesus. But He understood that what we see with our eyes, as painful as it may be, is only temporary. Not only that, but God is also building in us qualities that will last for eternity.

If you are a child of God, He has entrusted you to display His glory. Every circumstance you face is an opportunity to show off God’s power. Paul learned through his experience that, “we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted by not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-11)

What if the delay you face today is the very thing God wants to use to shine His light? What if the pain you are suffering is a picture of God’s sustaining power? What if your despair can be turned to praise? What if your time of being stuck is part of God’s development plan?