Did you ever have one of those days in which you feel “stuck in the mud.” Jeremiah had a moment in which he was thrown into the cistern and feared for his life as he sank into a pool of mud.There are times when our faith gets us in trouble with family and friends. We have mud on our faces because we believe its better to “love our enemies” or “turn the other cheek” or “make peace and not war.” Our Lord had his own troubles with his in-laws and friends who abandoned him in the end and left him to be stuck on a cross. His radical message set him sat at odds with the religious leaders and popular culture of his day.
When we allow a car to cut in front of us on the highway, instead of a curse we might pray for them when they are in such a hurry. When people throw mud in our faces because of our values on life for the unborn or peace in the world, we might pray for the safety of our soldiers and the children.
Being stuck in the mud might be the result of a bad psychological fall or relapse into an old addiction that has come back to life to haunt us. At times like these we need to surrender our need to control the situation and pray to God to help us again get out of the mud of misery and self-pity and start the road back to recovery. God wants us to be successful but the road is filled with lots of potholes and mud along the way.
The Lord prays for us as we reflect: “I waited, waited for the Lord;, who bent down and heard my cry. He drew me out of the pit of destruction, out of the mud of the swamp, Set my feet upon rock, steadied my steps.” (Psalm 40:2-3).
Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are stuck in their old patterns that make us unhealthy and mean. We put ourselves at risk for more pain and suffering. Give us the courage and grace to surrender the need for control and help us out of our cesspool of pride and resentment.
