“Sometimes we think we’re stuck simply because things are hard.”

A thought by Matt Perman, from his book, How to Get Unstuck (p. 52). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the

That is a possible trap for many, isn’t it?

Matt says, “But if you’re continuing to make progress and aren’t experiencing huge snags, you’re not stuck. Rather, you’re in a dip.

“A dip is a temporary hard slog that you will get through if you keep pushing and don’t give up. And pushing through the hard slog is actually the fastest route to the destination. In these cases, you will be especially tempted to bail. Be discerning and able to identify that you’re in a legitimate dip and you’re not a failure.”

Matt says another trap to be careful of, “Some people are stuck and don’t know it.”

He goes on, “Everything can be going your way, going smoothly, and going quickly. Everything feels and seems wonderful. Yet... you are still headed toward a dead end, a form of getting stuck, if you are leaving God out of the picture.

“You are sailing to the wrong destination. This is the worst form of being stuck… We need to keep God central and look to him first at all times.”

And then he says still another trap, “Depression takes us beyond the scope of this book, but I need to say something about it because it can be a huge source of getting stuck. It can be especially tough because you may not know that you have it. It doesn’t come with the obvious signals that a broken leg or the flu has. Depression can have a devastating effect on your life and productivity without ever announcing itself.

“If you are feeling really stuck and have a sense of hopelessness or deep sadness, consider whether there might be something more going on. Depression is treatable. Sometimes getting unstuck can involve the very hard work of counseling and medication. We shouldn’t look down on people who have depression, and for some reason, depression seems especially common today. For encouragement for those suffering with depression, I would recommend The Genius of Puritanism and Christians Get Depressed Too.

These traps are very important to see, aren’t they?

Yes, yes

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