Don't Stay Stuck

Have you ever found yourself saying, "I've heard all about that and I'll never do it," or, "I've done that before and I'll never do it again," simply based on the fact that it was an awful experience you had or heard about leading you to lay a brick in your foundation that says, "Don't ever do that again!" But yet, what if it was something God really wanted you to try again but because you've already laid the foundation down with that 'never again' statement you'll never truly know what God had in store for you.

Staying Stuck.

Whether good or bad, our responses to the life we live today are based on what birthed in our past. Those 'never again's.' It is the foundation that build you and me.

This mindset leads us to a place of staying stuck.

Stuck in our past.

Stuck in our pain.

Stuck in our pride.

Stuck in our emotions.

Stuck in our bitterness.

Stuck in our mindsets.

Stuck in our ways.

Stuck in our unforgiveness.

Stuck in our fear.

Stuck in our 'never again.'

I recall back in my Youth Pastor days a frightfully young teenage girl. She had never once attempted to go on a roller coaster due to the fact that she had put a brick in her foundation that they were too scary. Much of her outlook on life was surrounded with that fearful mindset leading her to have a whole row of bricks based on fearful thoughts. She would even greet you standing behind people, afraid to look you straight in the eye.

I believe God had it in mind that particular day to start crushing some of those bricks in her life because she oddly chose to follow me and the group of kids I was with on the hunt for every roller coaster we could find. Warning her of this news, she didn't refrain. So onward we went.

Deciding to start with a smallest roller coaster, I had to put on my cheerleading outfit as we stood there in line embracing the fact that for the next 30 minutes my job was to talk the fear out of her head....it's not easy chiseling away at those stubborn bricks but with every step we took closer to the front of the line, I could see we were winning. Honestly, I felt like it was a spiritual step she was taking. One that would trickle into the other areas she had wrapped fear around.

The time came. Was she going to get on?..................

She did! My insides were screaming with joy! We won a spiritual battle in her life!

Making the slow trek up the small hill, yes, she was sort of freaking out but I just knew that if we could get over the first hill, surely she was going to love it. And guess what.....she did!

I can't recall how many roller coasters we went on the rest of the day (no less than 7-10) but she ended up going on every one of them.

She became unstuck.

She stopped allowing fear control her life. No more were the days of greeting people standing behind others. No more were the days of timidity. Literally chains fell off of her that day that I believe changed her life.

The Excuse Dilemma.

What has you stuck?

What excuses do you keep making that keeps you in the same place you were 3 years ago?

Excuses.

This isn't a pretty box to unpack and one that I am guilty of as well but let's do this for the sole purpose that God wants us shackle free and this is part of getting there.....

Excuses create a dilemma that causes us to walk in this 'entitlement' per se mindset that because we've endured some hardship in our life where we laid down some bricks in our foundation now gives us the right to say, 'never again.' This decision is basically making the statement, "I don't have to grow or work on that area of my life anymore."

This trapped mindset leads us to saying no more times to the Lord than yes. Why? Because we are afraid that we may experience pain again. We are afraid we're going to have to face our triggers and truly heal from them. We are afraid that we're going to have to relearn how to manage our emotions when we stop leaning on 'this is how I've always done it,' mindset. It's fear of the unknown but it's based on a past experience.

It's, "I've got the t-shirt,' mentality. Been there. Done that. Over it.

If we're going to live our life with that misjudgement then how will we ever learn to grow forward?

It's simply not possible.

If they can, so can we.

When I went through my divorce in 2012, up to that point I had been leading worship for around 19 years. When I stepped down that March, I honestly did not know if I would ever grace a platform again to sing for the Lord. The pain that was wrapped up in that whole side of my journey was too much to bear so in my mind, I placed that chapter of my life on the bookshelf reasoning within I was done.

I placed a brick in my foundation of "I'm done' without even consulting the Lord.

My excuse, and a valid one at that was, the pain I was walking through was too much to bare.

While I definitely needed time to heal, it wasn't my place to close off that part of my life, especially without consulting what the Lord had in mind. Thankfully, though, God understands our seasons of brick laying that comes through painful circumstances and it never stops him from coming in at the right time to start breaking off the pieces that were never meant to be placed in our foundation.

In short, as I dove into finding healing and restoration in my life, that knock came back to me in January 2017. Right in the middle of a worship service, a small but strong tug hit my heart, tears flooded my face and for the first time since 2012 the longing to sing the songs of the Lord invaded my once 'never doing that again' heart.

It didn't take long before I was sitting at the keyboard again writing worships songs and eventually saying yes to leading worship at a local church plant in Nashville.

I had to run into my pain in order to get through to the other side of what God wanted to reconfirm in my life. He wasn't done with me yet. There were God songs in my heart that were yet to be written.

That day, I put on a new mindset. One that wasn't going to make up the excuse that I couldn't because of the pain I had once walked in. Honestly, if I had remained in that frame of mind, I wouldn't even be here writing to you this very day. Nor would I have ever started this ministry.

• Joseph had every excuse to feel pity when his brothers sold him into slavery. Instead, he became second in command in Egypt.

• Abraham had every excuse to blame God for being childless so many years. Instead, he became the father of many nations.

• Moses could've fallen for the trap of not feeling good enough to take on God's assignment. Instead, he helped free the children of Israel.

• David could've been gripped with fear when he faced Goliath. Instead, he knew who to put his faith in.

• Ruth could have remained bitter after losing her husband who left her childless. Instead, she had the courage and faith to step into the unknown that changed her life forever.

Let's break up with our past life. Throw away the excuses. Run into the pain, if needed, to get through to the other side of a life God is calling us to live.

Instead.

Let's live our life the way God intended. Only laying the bricks to our foundation that he places and then stand on that. ~ No More Excuses ~ Tracee

Run into the pain to break off the shackles.

Bricks for your foundation: