One of the things I've struggled with over the years has been a feeling of being stuck in my life. I believe this feeling is quite normal for most people to experience at some point in their lifetime but it is almost certainly magnified for anyone suffering from an illness, be it chronic or otherwise. There is an unpredictability about your day-to-day health condition that may mean you can't see your plans through and need to retreat from the world a little. This can make it ridiculously hard to keep moving forward… even though that is the very thing you want to do more than anything else… just one step at a time.
In my years of living with and recovering from a chronic illness, and working to keep my life moving forward these three things have helped me to unstick and take the next step:
1. Own all your choices
Naturally, there can often be a feeling of helplessness that arises as circumstances beyond our control unfold. Life has a way of twisting and turning, and sometimes we are taken for a ride. But know that you are not helpless and what you can control is how you respond, how you take responsibility and how you seek to repair. As you start to do this you'll feel the heaviness of helplessness lift. Owning all your choices is pivotal in helping you to let go and to move forward.
2. Find the wiggle room
You may be stuck between a rock and a hard place but that doesn't mean there isn't any wiggle room! Try and find it no matter what. And remember that baby steps count! One thing that I have chosen to do is to live with my parents. But as I am an adult I need my own life and my own space. At one point I felt so stuck that I started to look for wiggle room. I found that I can live independently and with my parents (and be thankful for it too!) just by setting up my own areas of the house, paying my own bills and preparing my own meals, and going on adventures that take me away from home. There is always wiggle room.
3. Pray and pray hard!
"Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, MSG). Keep the lines of communication open with the One who loves you the most. God can unstick your life in a moment. He's on your side and He wants the best for you… but He also wants your heart. Could our feeling stuck be an invitation to turn to Him? I think so. Also, ask your friends and family to pray with you too "for where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them" (Matthew 18:20, NIV). Prayers are powerful and God hears them all.
Quote for the Road…
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