Struggling To Move Forward? This Is For You

Does anyone else feel like they’ve been walking through the same struggles, the same disappointments, the same problems, asking the same questions, and yet, you feel like you’re not making any progress? The desperate attempts you’ve taken at doing the next right thing and moving forward, just aren’t getting you to where you want to be fast enough…

Is anyone else living in the space right now??

I am so there with you…

A few weeks ago, a dear and sweet friend of mine told me, that when you're in a funk or you can feel yourself sinking into a low place do the next right thing.

Someone cue the Frozen 2 song ha! Now, it will be stuck in your head for a few hours... sorry about that! :)

I’ve thought about this saying a lot. There’s some truth to this and some practicality to this.

One day I came home from work after just finishing my workout, and it hadn’t necessarily been a bad day, but I could feel myself sinking into a low place mentally, spiritually, and emotionally.

I tried lifting my spirits by reaching out to some friends, or playing the piano, but nothing was really helping. I decided to go home and cook dinner. I pulled into the parking lot of my apartment and sat in my car thinking about what I could cook.

I could just go to my parent's house and eat for free. I thought to myself. Plus, I need to pick up George (my dog) anyway. I could go play with him in the backyard for a little while maybe that will help. I need a few things from the store to help me cook dinner though. Agh… I don’t feel like going to the store. I’ll just cook what I have. Oh… but I don’t have any salt..

Bingo.

As I sat there contemplating what the next right thing for me was, the answer was to simply go and get salt.

“Go and get salt, Lo,” I told myself.

The idea of going to get salt was simple, quick, and easy. I didn’t have to sift through my feelings to do it or figure out notes on the piano. It was a tangible step I could easily take to help get my mind off things and begin to move forward.

**SIDE NOTE/JUMBLED THOUGHTS**

(I have a point I promise!)

Sometimes I think we forget how to move forward. Maybe we struggle with the process of moving forward because the goal isn’t simply to move forward. We’re too fixated on how quickly we can move forward, do the next right thing, and move on with our lives. All of a sudden the process of moving forward becomes a race, a huge life change, or a 5 step process pushed into 1 massive step. This leaves us feeling broken hearted, defeated, confused, disappointed, irritated, unfulfilled and tired... agh!

Who said a small task, a small step, a micro small decision couldn’t move you forward enough to make a difference?

I’m here to say it can.

Coming from someone who’s walked through, lived through, and is currently still living through a season that never seems to end, I understand what it feels like to feel as if the strides you're making in your own life are insignificant or unnoticeable compared to those around you.

Sometimes you just want a new season to finally come around. You want a fresh start. You want a new place or something exciting to give you that little extra encouragement to keep going. Sometimes you just don’t want to feel different. You want to be in the same place and in the same season like everyone else, and it’s frustrating you because God has you here instead…

When others are getting married, preparing for kids, buying a house, moving to a new state, gradating from Med school, or building their dream companies it can make it seem like your victory trip to the store to get salt didn’t even matter.

It matters.

It matters to the Lord, too.)

** END OF SIDENOTE/JUMBLED THOUGHTS**

(Here’s my point!)

Choosing to go get salt, brought me out of my low place.

As weird as it sounds, the Lord helped me defeat pain and sorrow by choosing to go get salt. I really don’t even know why this simple act helped me, but the Lord used it to bring me back to a place of peace and purpose.

I bought the salt and ended up buying a few new fun toys for my dog in the process. Of course, he destroyed them in less than an hour.. but what do you do.. Ha! Oh well. I love him and it was fun watching him get so excited over a couple of frisbees. I also soaked up the last few minutes of sunshine with my parents on their back porch. So sweet.

In all my attempts, the Lord knew what I needed. I need His peace. I needed to be reminded of my purpose and what better reminder than salt.

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should loose it’s taste, how can it be made salty… (Matthew 5:13-16 CSB)

Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:2-4 CSB)

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart celebrates, and I give thanks to him with my song.

(Psalms 28:7 CSB)

These verses remind me there’s purpose in my pain, joy can be found in my pain, and hope can be found while enduring my pain.

These verses remind me that God has a purpose for all of this. It’s a hard life to live for the Lord, but I pray my life would never loose it’s saltiness. I want others to taste and see that the Lord is good. If others see that through my story, my suffering, my struggles then praise the Lord. I say that with all sincerity because that alone really is worth it.

As hard as it is to move forward from low places, seeing the Glory of God reveled to someone and continuously being about the kingdom of God, is a perfect spring board to help us stand up again and gain prospective.

With all sincerity, love, and encouragement if you been having as much of a hard time as I have, friend you’re not alone. Maybe you’ve gone through an unimaginable situations that no amount of words could make you feel better. The strength you’ve already had to muster up, the multiple prayers you’ve already prayed, the tears you’ve cried, the questions you’ve asked, the conversations you’ve had, and the journey you’ve already been walking through has been tough enough and, the thought of making it another day is more than you can take…

Love, you were never meant to carry what is weighing on your heart alone. You were never meant to be strong enough on your own to withstand every fiery arrow the enemy throws at you.

Trust in your God and breath.

You were made to trust in the Lord. You were created to need God every day of your life. Not only do we need Him for our salvation, but we need Him to help us carry the weight of life.

We need Him to hear our cries for help.

We need Him to hold our hearts together.

We need Him when no one understands.

We need Him to be a friend when we feel utterly alone.

We need Him to help us remember who He is and what He’s done for us.

We need Him to remind us we matter, we’re seen and we’re forever irrevocably loved by Him.

Friends, He is ALWAYS so willing, so able and so available to comfort, heal, support, encourage, and lift up your weary soul when you cry out to Him. I’ve experienced the goodness of God when I’ve been in the lowest of lowest of places and although my heart was shattered, I’ve never felt more loved and more comforted in all my life.

With God’s strength and His joy you will see brighter days because your story doesn’t end here.

The dessert sands my blow all around you, but the taste of living water will give you courage and strength for the journey.

I encourage you to be honest with God and tell Him how you’re doing. Your heart can be trusted with Him, loved by Him and supported by Him more than anyone else. There is still hope here. The Lord’s compassionate heart and gentle hands can seen more evident in places like this.

Count every little step of moving forward as a victory. There’s a bright future ahead of you, love.

Loving Enduringly,

Lo