Resurrection Tow Truck… Hello Hump Day readers. I’m sure you are wondering what the heck is this title about? It’s about me wanting to share that Easter’s resurrection is NOT over! Let’s live like Easter People all the time! I shared that idea in an email with a friend of mine hoping to cheer her up, but to my surprise, it back-fired! I know she is going through a lot right now but I never realized how bitter and hopeless she has become.

She told me “I’m stuck and I can’t get out.” That was her reply, nothing more. It hurts me to see her feeling this way, yet I know her marriage has been rocky at best and she has a son with autism so I shouldn’t be surprised that she’s “stuck.” The question is, how does she get past being stuck and living again? I emailed that to her and then she called me. She is getting a divorce. With one income (no assurance of help from her husband) I understand her anxiety, anger and fear. She is a devout believer but that doesn’t mean bad stuff will never happen, right? We talked a while, prayed together and committed ourselves to stay in touch every week.

Getting stuck is tough, period. We all go through those times. Al and I just celebrated our 49th wedding anniversary! We laughed at one of our early dinner dates. While we ate the heavens opened up with a deluge of rain and Al’s Firebird was low to the ground with tires for racing, not getting out of the muck. So, with me behind the wheel and Al in the back to push I put the pedal to the metaland we got even more stuck—including Al because my heavy foot covered him with a ton of mud. All I could think of was our second date was a mess and he’ll never call back, but that’s not my Al. Instead, we just laughed and tried several more times and voila—we got un-stuck and now both of us were covered in mud!

Wouldn’t it be nice if it was that easy for our messes, such as in my friend’s situation? But that’s not how life works. When you are stuck—including in the mud—the first thing to do is breathe—let the anxiousness out and for me, it’s time to pray!! I know that sounds too easy, but when I have a conversation with God my focus changes, and the power of the Holy Spirit has a chance to speak and import wisdom to my body, mind and soul (which is better than me depending on my own wisdom!).

One of the central things that keep us stuck is our past. I know my friend’s past and it has been a long haul of being stuck. Every person has their “past problems” but if we don’t let the past go, we continue to dig our own holes. Old longings creep up on us, along with tough memories, fears, relationships…and once again we’re stuck and that is not where God wants us to be. In fact, Scripture tells us that we’re a new creation and the old is gone. So why do we hold onto it? Because patterns, habits and fear keep us in the past. The Apostle Paul writes about forgetting the past and pushing forward in his letter to the Philippians 3:13-14 [NLT]: “No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

What does God want to renew and refresh in your life today? To know that, you first have to have a conversation with God. Listen to his wisdom for the next moves for your life. God’s goodness is for you. And, no matter what keeps you stuck, remember to live as an Easter person because in Christ’s resurrection you are and will continue to be a new creation—where the old is gone and the new keeps renewing! God is leading you to the changes you need, so don’t be surprised one bit when the Holy Spirit’s “tow truck” comes to your aid, empowering you with the renewal of God’s grace that will get you un-stuck and fill you with all the strength and encouragement you need. And the best thing—no towing fee! AMEN.