“I don’t know another word for it. I guess I just feel… stuck?”

Somer has a way of pulling out of me how I’m really feeling, no matter how much I try to ignore my emotions. And these were real words I said to her just a few weeks ago.

We’ve all been there, right? Those moments when it feels like you’re in the real-life version of a hamster wheel, and it’s the furthest thing from cute. You’re expending gospel energy, but it seems as if you’re just running in circles and making no progress.

[By the way, as a reminder for when you’re on the other side of this, Somer empathized with me and prayed for me. She didn’t try to fix it. In that moment, that’s really what I needed.]

A few days later, I was reading my Bible and I spun around in my desk chair when I read 2 Corinthians 4:8-9: 

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;  persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”

(By the way, if you’re new here and we’re going to be real friends, you need to know this isn’t an exaggeration. I actually spun around in my desk chair. While I’m confessing, I also turn a cartwheel nearly every time *NSYNC teases the reunion tour. From all of us, we *legit* want you back.)

Read those verses again. Because the world is broken, we will at times feel the pressure, the confusion, and sometimes even the persecution.

But even in those times, we’re not actually going down or spinning on a stationary wheel. We’re never “stuck” in the way the world defines it.

So, the next time you feel like you’re stuck, remember these words.

Even when you’re hard-pressed, you’re not crushed.

Even when it seems uncertain, you have hope.

Even in the face of persecution, God is always with you.

And no matter how many times you get knocked down, God will always pick you back up.

Each twist and turn, every moment of confusion or pressure, is an opportunity to experience God’s grace in new and profound ways, and His promises always provide a way forward.

In this week’s podcast  — live with our SWHW fam! —  we got really practical on how to follow Jesus in hard seasons… including the ones that feel like hamster wheels.

I’m praying it encourages you to respond to the gospel in your circumstances instead of just responding to your circumstances. Listen here.

In Him,
Michelle

P.S. The journey through tough seasons can be even more challenging when you feel like you’re alone. But you’re not alone! We do not take lightly that we call this a community, and we’re more than willing to stand with you in prayer. If you’re walking through something tough, please feel free to reply to this email or reach out to us on Instagram at @sheworkshisway. It would truly be our joy to lift your needs up to Jesus with you!