At our local congregation we have a Celebrate Recovery ministry and every now and then we are privileged to hear someone’s life story—they are stories of everything possible—but mostly they are stories of hope—of people who have gotten themselves out of a terrible rut like addictions.

Addictions define some ruts, but some ruts are just those times in all of our lives where we will feel like we can’t move forward. It could be in a relationship (not talking about marriage), a job, a commitment you’ve made and can’t let go, an attitude or any place where your heart is not in sync with God’s desire for your life. 

Even for those people who are highly creative, getting stuck happens and they are left with a feeling of despair that they will never move forward.

But, there’s something very dangerous about feeling like you’re stuck. It isn’t of God and can leave you with all kinds of emotions—scared, lonely, sad, and helpless. Then your behavior begins to reflect those feelings.

Scripture tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 that God has plans for us and they are not plans to keep us stuck somewhere, but plans for us to prosper and grow. 

This topic is especially true today in a world where our options seem few and our opportunities are limited, but it goes beyond covid-19 living. Feeling stuck can happen anytime. If you’re reading this and you’re a stay at home mom, you might have the feeling you are stuck. It’s an endless cycle of diapers, baby food, laundry, pacifiers, bouncy seats, car seats, play pens and on and on. 

If you’re a mom of elementary age kids, it’s an endless cycle of practices, homework, refereeing fights, cooking, cleaning, etc.

Moms of teens–it’s an endless cycle of worrying, passing out money and unwanted advice, buying clothes, more worry, praying, etc.

As an older adult, it’s that never ending worry that health issues will catch up with you, that you’re not needed, that your live is racing past you and you don’t know what to do.

While we know in our heads that these are phases that will pass, still that “stuck” feeling is unsettling and can consume our thinking. 

And it can cause other issue, such as:

1. Feeling unproductive-you truly feel like you’re on a treadmill—lots of action, but nothing is getting done. When you give in to this feeling, it only makes this worse.
2. Feeling tired—everything seems harder when your brain is stuck, your body wears out—like staying with someone in the hospital—you do nothing, but you’re exhausted.
3. Feeling depressed-there’s nothing more depressing than feeling like you are not going anywhere. Some people don’t like running on a treadmill for that reason—it’s a great form of exercise, but because it’s so repetitive, it’s frustrating. This isn’t a place God wants us to be.
4. Being worried—again no place we need to be—but, feeling like you’re stuck causes you to spend too much time worrying that you may never get out.

It’s a terrible feeling to be in a place of dissatisfaction with your life. This is not a place God wants you to be. 

Let’s look at a Bible story to help us figure out how to get out of a rut. We’re going to look at a just little six verses in Mark 10 that could change your life. It’s the story of Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus was definitely in a rut. He was a blind beggar, but one day he came to realize what he had to do. What he learned can help all of us now. Let’s take a look at what Bartimaeus did and you can to:

1. Take Responsibility for Your Own Life–NOW 

⁴⁶ Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. ⁴⁷ When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Bartimaeus was someone really stuck in a bad situation. He was blind and had nowhere to go, so he sat by the road and begged for food and money every day, all day. 

But, that day, the day Jesus came walking by, Bartimaeus saw his way out. He took responsibility for his situation. 

Only in childhood do we have the luxury of someone helping us out of a stuck situation. As adults, we rarely can count on someone else to do this for us. Others can help, but we have to do the work.

Bartimaeus had to depend on people for food and money, but none of those people could change the situation he was in. 

Only Jesus could do that so number two is…

2. Desire to Change

Sometimes a rut is a comfortable place to be—it’s secure. 

For Bartimaeus, being dependent on others wasn’t the most rewarding lifestyle, but at least he knew what he would be doing tomorrow and the next day. Surely he dreamed of more, but he didn’t see a way out until that day. 

That day he had a huge decision to make—should he put himself out there and step out of the rut he was in or stay where he was?

You may be in a rut of your own doing. Perhaps you are stuck blaming your parents or a sibling or a spouse or a boss for where you are in life.  

Whatever rut you may be in, you have to WANT to get out. Some of us like blaming others for where we are. It’s the comfortable place to be. But there is a price for liking that place. You will never move forward. Moving forward happens to people who are ready to take responsibility for their actions and have a desire to do something about it. 

3. Ignore Others

Verse 48 says that many rebuked Baritmaeus, but he shouted all the more. I love how that verse is written. It says he shouted all the more! He just ignored those who were not on his side in this adventure for change. 

While we love people, our faith can never be in them. It can only be in Jesus Christ. People are great cheerleaders—sometimes. But, the majority of people are not going to jump out there and push you either way. Look at the next few verses. 

“Jesus stopped and said, Call Him,” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer Up! On your feet! He’s calling you.

Once Jesus stopped and called to Bartimaeus, his peeps changed their tune. Instead of telling him to be quiet, they said, get up there. He’s calling you!

People are wishy-washy, but Jesus is not. You may have to ignore what others are saying to you if you know what you are desiring to do is God honoring.

But, most of us never move forward, not because of what people say, but because of what we THINK they will say. 

I’m not saying don’t seek wise counsel, of course, you should, just don’t listen to the crowds.

4. Believe You Can Do It!

When Jesus asked Bartimaeus what he wanted, he confidently said, “I want to see.” First, the Bible says, “He jumped up and ran toward Jesus” and then he answered with confidence. I don’t think a blind man, a man who had no idea where he was going or what he was doing, would jump and run if he didn’t know he could do it.

It took real faith to throw off his coat and jump when Jesus called his name. Can’t you just see him—blind, but listening for the sound of his savior’s voice? 

One commentator I read said that this wasn’t the blind faith that we so often read about in the Bible, but it was a faith based on evidence. Bartimaeus knew who Jesus was and jumped and ran to him because he believed he could be healed.

There are several stories of Jesus healing the blind in the New Testament. Perhaps Bartimaeus had heard of those. 

Barimaeus has a great testimony. Testimonies give us hope that we can do the same. I said earlier that we are blessed at our church to hear life stories from our members. Those stories give us hope just as Bartimaeus had, but they also give us strength. They strengthen our faith. This is why we have a church family—why we need to surround ourselves with believers who can give you strength.

5. Don’t Wait For Ideal Circumstance 

Bartimaeus didn’t. Let’s look at the verse in The Message. It says, “They spent some time in Jericho. As Jesus was leaving town, trailed by his disciples and a parade of people…”

The circumstances were not ideal for a blind beggar to be seen or heard. But he was no longer content where he was!

It’s like saving the good china for a special day—an ideal day. The words, someday and one of these days, are words that should be used very carefully. Now it’s true that, as believing women, we can do all things, just not all at the same time and we defer some things to handle more important things, like raising our children or grandchildren, but if you’re in a rut and can’t get out—stop saving things for later. Do them now!

6. Change One Thing and See What Happens 

Bartimaeus did just that—he changed one very important thing—he got up!

One day I was driving home to the same neighborhood I have lived in for over 40 years. I got halfway home and remembered something I needed to get at the store so I turned around in a place I have never been. It was so fun to see something new. Just doing that one thing brought a new perspective to my day. 

What one thing can you change today? It doesn’t have to be big. Little things make big differences. 

One last thing. When I’m not moving forward for whatever reason, I find that if I search for a different mental neighborhood to hang out in, I’ll do better. In other words, stop listening to your own words of doom and gloom. Listen to someone else. As I’ve already said, testimonies are life-giving. Listen to someone who has been there, done that and, come out on the other side. Of course, dig into the bible.  And, don’t make yourself your only project! Go help someone else. Focusing on other people always brings out the best in us.

Well, that’s it for the day.

Have a great week.