Do you feel TRAPPED?

When you have an extraordinary amount of need and a very limited amount of resources then you can very quickly find yourself feeling trapped. I understand the feeling. I grew up poor…actually I grew up po, I heard it said that I was so poor, we couldn’t afford the O and the R…so we was PO! I remember watching my mom make hard choices. She would wonder what to pay this month so we could still eat. She made incredible food out of virtually nothing and she was the last to eat just in case there wasn’t enough. I remember the days of having our car repossessed. I remember the night I sat in a waiting room in a jail cell because my dad wrote bad checks and my mom got arrested.

So, when I share that I know struggle…I know. However, I never allow myself to feel trapped. When I am up against it…my take on it is that “God just hasn’t revealed his plan yet.” God is warming up for a miracle.

He still does those you know. He still heals when the doctors say it’s time to say goodbye. He still provides when you think there is no way. He still wants to show you that he is still God and this world is hard but it ain’t got nothing on him.

When I feel trapped remember a few things.

1. Don’t panic. It’s never as bad as it seems.
2. Why/How did I get into this situation? I mean is there something I could change in my habits or behavior to keep from getting into this situation?
3. Is God trying to teach me something? Everything is a teachable situation…don’t whine about what you are going through. Endure the journey and allow it to make you stronger and wiser.
4. Anything short of sin is on the table. Think outside the box…what are your resources and be creative. Don’t resort to lies, deception or theft.

Look to the scriptures, over and over we get ourselves into a mess, and God lets us stew and learn and then provides a way out. Before Moses parted the red sea, he thought “uh oh”. Before Daniel was rescued from the lions den, he thought “uh oh. Before…you get the point. Sometimes we need the “uh oh” times to remind us that God is still there and still on our side and still doing great things.

How do you respond to those “uh oh” moments?