Happily married with a close-knit family, Linda has so much to be thankful for. She’s been on the same job for the last 15 years, everyone loves her, and she and her husband are what most would consider a quintessential couple that is “living comfortably.” They don’t overspend, but take a vacation once or twice a year, and for the most part, everyone seems to be happy and healthy. Linda feels she has everything she needs, but she says that something within just isn’t fulfilled, and she doesn’t know why. A Christian for many years, Linda knows the Word of God and loves the Lord very much. Her life is busy and there are plenty of people that love and support her, but she’s at a place where nothing seems to bring her joy. She’s wondering where she went wrong.
Linda may not be dealing with the troubling situations and circumstances that we might typically relate to a wilderness experience, but she’s definitely having one. The disappointment of unfulfilled dreams, mourning the loss of those we loved, unresolved heartbreak, and dissatisfaction with life in general can bubble up to the surface out of nowhere. We might have thought we moved past those things, but residual emotions have a way of sneaking up on us when we least expect it. We don’t know what to do with them because we’re not quite sure what they are, or why after all this time they are causing such discomfort.
There’s also a bit of guilt mixed in because we recognize that we should be deeply thankful to God for how He’s blessed us. “How dare I feel dissatisfied and unhappy when the Lord has shown me such kindness, goodness. and grace?” We say that to ourselves, but it doesn’t change the nagging numbness inside.
It’s a mistake to think that God doesn’t understand our emotions or that He doesn’t want to be bothered. We might think that He just wants us to hurry up and be done with them, but nothing could be further from the truth. Hebrews 4:15(NLT) says, “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.” Jesus Christ, our High Priest, understands everything that we go through down here because he faced the same temptations and challenges when he walked the earth, but he never sinned. He walked through them perfectly, and he will help us do the same.
God’s wisdom in Ecclesiastes 3:1(NLT) tells us, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” Every person that has ever lived for any length of time has done so by moving through stages or seasons of life. Through every stage, our wisdom and maturity level should increase in such a way that it prepares us for the next season of growth and blessings. This is just the way life on earth works. Whether they bring discomfort or joy, the older we become, the more challenging these stages or seasons can be. It’s not uncommon that emotions we’ve not yet explored will rise to the surface without us being able to pinpoint exactly what’s going on. We find that we’re just not happy, and it seems that these feelings of emptiness will never go away. They will, but a few other things need to go away with them.
It may be difficult to hear, but as we mature and get older, God’s expectation is that our faith and wisdom deepens as well. Life may bring stages of stagnation, numbness, or unhappiness, and they will require more patience than we’ve perhaps ever demonstrated towards ourselves. The thing to always keep at the forefront of our minds is that we’re moving through something. It might seem like life is standing still, but it’s not. We’re moving through emotions, feelings, and thoughts that have come to the surface without our noticing. We’ve reached a certain place in life, and the “now what” has come front and center. We will most certainly come out on the other side of this, and we must release any doubt about that.
The wilderness is the place where we are tempted by the enemy to get off the path of faith. It’s also the place where we learn to seek God in a greater way. Whatever we endure and go through in life, it’s always about going higher in Christ; always. We’re tempted to think that it’s about other things, but we have to release those thoughts. Romans 8:28(NLT) declares, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” The truth of this incredible verse reminds us that all the situations and circumstances of life will ultimately draw us closer to God, and the lessons of all our troubles and tribulations teach us to trust Him greater.
God’s law of gravity is a law we all respect, and we have no choice but to obey it. There’s no denying that if you jump off the roof of any tall building, you will fall. Another thing we learn about gravity is that if we’re weighted down by something, it must be released for us to rise higher. This hits home in Hebrews 12:1(NLT), where God commands us to, “strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” Many of us don’t realize that we’ve been carrying a heavy load until everything that was standing between us and it is now gone. Coming face to face with it, we now have to ask God questions that we don’t know quite how to frame. We even need His help with that. Again, it’s a season where we must be patient with ourselves as He guides us, and we prepare for the answers He gives us.
The gravitational pull of God bringing us closer is underneath all the things we don’t understand. We need to hear from Him. We need Him to tell us His purpose because we’ve reached a place where our thoughts and intentions may be moving us further away from it. We’re not in control, and while that may be a very uncomfortable place, we do know that our God is in control, and He will never leave or forsake us. Life is not standing still. It’s moving, and we need to move only by the guidance and grace of God. He knew we would arrive at the place we currently find ourselves in. He’s the One with the plan for our lives, and we must trust this. We must pray more and talk with Him often. He has something to say, and we need to be patient until we can hear it loud and clear. ∎
Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
“When It Seems Like Life Is Standing Still”, written by Fran Mack. Edits by Kim Times and K. Stephens for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2024. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.