You Are Not Stuck
...is that obstacle really an obstacle?
I’d taken a side route off the main trail to add a little mileage to my Saturday morning run when I spied this branch down across the path. My first thought was, Turn around. I pivoted on my right foot, took two steps back toward where I came, then thought, Wait! Why? Just because the branch was there didn’t mean I couldn’t step over it. But I fear this is what so many of us, myself included, do all the time. We see an obstacle. And let it stop our progress. Allow it to keep us from our goals, our intentions, our plans, our hopes, our dreams.
80% of our thoughts aren’t true, according to my friend Dr. Lee Warren, neurosurgeon. 80%!!!! And 90% of our thoughts are repeated every day. So I’m no math whiz, but that means we are constantly reiterating things in our minds that are NOT true. Like, I need to turn around because there’s a branch on the path. So many of these false thoughts are getting us stuck!
I don’t mean we believe that Cookie Monster is coming over for dinner or that we should wear shoes on our ears. I mean we don’t have the conversation, send the email, try the new thing, push ourselves out of our comfort zones, take the next step, or say…continue on the trail…because we fear we can’t, it won’t work, we’ll be rejected, it will be “too hard,” we won’t like it.
The enemy loves to stop us in our progress, squelch our potential, and keep us from the perfect plans God has for us. But Jesus has so much goodness for us waiting on the other side of where we get stuck. For the record I was fully capable of stepping over that branch. Sure, I had to slow down to a walk to step carefully over it. But I did NOT have to turn around or cut my run short. In fact, I stepped over it on my way out and then again on my return with zero problems.
We all have thoughts that we need something or someone else to be happy, that we’re not enough or we need to be different or things need to be different. We have fears that something horrible will happen, worries that things won’t go well, beliefs that we don’t deserve or can’t get love or joy or peace or hope because…fill in the blank. Basically, thoughts that we’re stuck.
But you’re not stuck!
Those obstacles that seem in your way can often be removed (or stepped or even climbed or jumped over). God created your brain in the coolest ways. And with some intentionality you can close the gap of the life you have and the life you wish we lived. You can ask Jesus what is true and dismiss the rest.
On this week’s episode of the This is Your Nudge podcast my friend, Dr. Lee Warren helps me understand the beautiful ways God designed our brains so that we can hold untrue thoughts captive and discover and live in peace, hope, love, and unshakable, untouchable joy. Dr. Lee has written a whole book about it, The Life-Changing Art of Self Brain Surgery. And y’all…it is brilliant!
You can listen here: YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be stuck in cycles of untrue thoughts. I don’t want to go part way, when Jesus has an entire path laid out for me. I’d rather, as Paul tells the Philippians, think about “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things (Philippians 4:8).”
Today is our day. We can start retraining our brains right now to focus on what is true.
Praying for you to focus on the truth and step into the untouchable JOY Jesus has for you. xo, Laura
So many of the women in the Bible thought they were stuck. They experienced infertility, abuse, poverty, hunger, manipulation, physical and mental health issues. But Jesus. He changed everything for them and showed them a way forward. To read more about their stories and how they inform our stories, grab a copy of Brave Woman, Mighty God: 30 Things You Can Do.
I appreciate your post💜 Keep looking up and keep moving💪🙌💪🙏🏻
This is so good friend !!!