Musings on the Spiritual Journey

Share this post

Getting Stuck

alandavey.substack.com

Getting Stuck

And Getting Unstuck

Alan Davey
Jun 21, 2022
9
2
Share

My main relaxation practice over the years has been scuba diving. A second interest (when water is not available) is hiking—enjoying the beauty of God’s landscape. Such trekking has taken me from Newfoundland’s east coast trails to the northern shores of Lake Superior to the stunning beauty of the Rocky Mountain vistas of Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper, and Golden. In the Southern Hemisphere I have also passed through the trails of Machu Picchu, the ancient Incan roads outside of Sucre and the canyons of Torotoro in the heartland of Bolivia. Even listing these journeys gives me pleasure! All of them express the wonders of God’s glory and majestic creativity.

However, in any rambling experience one can come across unexpected hurdles that force alternative routes. My first reaction in those moments is often frustration. Then I start to see that there is value in this experience of getting stuck. If we always took the straight path I wonder what we would miss. Similarly in our spiritual progression, the stuckness can be a stepping stone to something better. Mike Yaconelli writes:

Getting stuck is a great moment, a summons, a call from within, the glorious music of disaffection and dissatisfaction with our current place in life. We get stuck when we want to change, but can’t; when we want to stop destructive behaviour, but don’t; when the tug-o-war between God’s will and ours stands still and we can’t move…Getting stuck…halts the momentum of our lives; we have no choice but to notice what is around us—and we end up searching for Jesus. (Mike Yaconelli, Messy Spirituality)

When you find yourself up against a hurdle, remember that getting stuck is the first step in getting unstuck.

Share Musings on the Spiritual Journey

9
2
Share
2 Comments
Lorraine Barter
Jun 21, 2022Liked by Alan Davey

Alan, getting stuck and reaching out again to Jesus to reset our sails is a blessing because we once again draw close to the one who loves us so deeply.

Blessings, Lorraine🙏

Expand full comment
Reply
author
Alan Davey
Jun 21, 2022Author

‘Resetting our sails on Jesus’ is a lovely and helpful image Lorraine. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Expand full comment
Reply
Top
New
Community

No posts

Ready for more?

© 2023 Alan Davey
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing