It's All Good: 12 Devotions to Embrace Your NowSample

The Stickiness of Staying Stuck

Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. I PETER 5:7 ESV

Have you ever been in a really long line at a grocery store? Maybe it was the week leading up to a holiday and the line looked like it stretched to Ohio. What do you remember feeling while standing there? Frustration? Worry over not getting home in time? Disappointment that someone else’s line seemed to be moving faster? Judgment toward the person with that really full basket in front of you? Any number of emotions can pop up in a line.

Most of us easily identify with what it feels like to be stuck. It doesn’t have to be in a grocery store. Traffic will do this too—especially if there is construction and traffic is crawling. Relationships can feel stuck as well. Careers. That to-do list? Yes, stuck. Even our own spiritual growth can feel stagnant sometimes. Or how about our prayers? Emotional responses to times when we feel stuck affect us all. What we do with them, though, determines whether we stay stuck or move on.

Surrender helps us keep going. I know that might sound counterintuitive, but hear me out. Surrender doesn’t mean throwing your hands up and resigning yourself to the situation. It’s not waving a white flag. You can still look at other lines or lanes that could be a better option to head toward. Surrender is not rolling over and giving up. Surrender means releasing any emotional resistance taking place.

What are common forms of emotional resistance? Emotional resistance can manifest itself as judgment or an unwillingness to consider other viewpoints, attitudes, or even options. The psychological term for this is “emotional rigidity.” It means you’re stuck in your emotional state and not allowing for any deviation from it. You won’t let yourself laugh if your emotions say you’re sad. You won’t allow for creativity if you are stuck in a routine. You refuse to pivot toward playfulness if you feel stuck in a responsibility lane. You won’t be grateful when you experience any lack. The list goes on.

Surrender recognizes that whatever you’re going through or thinking about from the past—while it might not be ideal—you can choose to accept it and flex with it. If it produces uncomfortable feelings of anxiety or other emotions, allow yourself to feel it. If you need support while feeling these emotions, look to God. Accept His care and trust Him. You can also connect with others God places in your path, like a friend or therapist, to help you work through these feelings. Surrender allows you to truly feel and let go rather than stuff and distract. It helps bring your awareness back to the moment so you can embrace your experiences now.

Jesus, remind me how to cast my uncomfortable feelings on You when they show up so I can rest in Your loving care. Amen.