Not Stuck

“So, Don, what was your main takeaway after our first meeting, and from what you read?”

This is a common question, and often the first one I ask in subsequent counseling meetings regarding the homework given; in this case Don had finished reading our Overcoming Anxiety booklet.

“Well, the main thing I learned is that I’m not stuck!” Don replied.

“Stuck? What do you mean?” I asked.

Don explained: “Frankly, I was convinced that there was no way out of this anxiety and depression. It’s been going on for years and I’ve been told over and over that this is just an unlucky break, like getting polio or diabetes, and that I’ll have to just suck it up and live with this for the rest of my life. “

“In other words, the best I can do is simply manage this indefinitely, that it’s just my ‘cross to bear,’ my ‘thorn in the flesh.’ But now, I know I don’t have to live or think that way. There are many things I can do to overcome this and be set free from these miserable experiences! As a result of the right understanding, I’ve come to realize that I am not stuck! I have finally been able to connect the dots between the causes of these problems and the solutions. Even better, I’ve already seen amazing fruit in my life by working on just a few of them! I know it’s a process, but I can’t wait to see more of this in the future!”

While this was great news in Don’s case, unfortunately there is also bad news here. The sad truth is that many people fail to even seek the solutions they desperately need—by addressing the actual causes of these pain-filled problems—because they falsely believe they are “stuck.” Oddly enough, in some ways this is true: they are trapped here, and with no answers for what ails them– but mainly due to this faulty belief.

However, the good news is that there actually is an abundance of hope precisely because there are many specific solutions. There are numerous people who find great relief, along with joy, peace, and security. But the first thing they need to know is that there are very real answers, and then believe and live according to these divinely designed remedies, realizing the truth that they are, in fact, not “stuck.”

Few things are worse than anxiety and depression. But there is hope. There are answers! This is not just a theory, or wishful thinking, or praying it away, or trying to be a better person. While each individual’s situation is different, there are many common causes of these maladies, and many solutions as well. Yet all of this is blocked when a person believes he or she is stuck.

Even though we have been so blessed to see many people find answers, often the biggest challenge is in helping them to break free from “being stuck.” However, when they are able to do this, when they focus on all they “get to” do, when they apply God’s truth and grace, they are truly set free, as Don and countless others have been.

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