Stuck in a Life You Didn't Choose

What are you facing today that you never would have asked for?

If we're honest, we all encounter circumstances in life we despise and desperately wish we could get out of.

For me, despite seeing some health improvement from a couple years of chronic lyme + co-infection treatment, I still have autoimmune issues that aren't improving yet. After thousands of dollars of investments in immune support, endless supplements, special diets, detox protocols, and more, this is a very discouraging reality.

In those moments, anxiety and fear can take over my mind and paralyze me. I could stay stuck in the "what-ifs" and hopelessness, refusing to move forward in life. Or I can cling to what is true and find ways to hold to hope in my reality.

So what is true? When you’re stuck living a life you would never choose, what do you do?

• Grieve. Yes, when you face the brokenness of life, it's right to grieve. The curse is deep and far-reaching. Don't bury your emotions, take them to the Father.
• Trust. Your heavenly Father knows best and only does what is good for you. Believe that even when circumstances seem to contradict it.
• Cling. Hold to hope. Rest in the solid Rock who won't let you down no matter how many people or circumstances do.
• Seek. Look for evidences of God's grace to you. Find joy in the little things. Remind yourself of what you have instead of dwelling on what you don't. Grasp any form of joy you can find.
• Just keep swimming. In Finding Nemo, Dory's optimism (naiive or not) keep her and Marlin searching for Nemo when Marlin's fear paralyzes him. It's terrifying to think of making decisions or moving forward when the weight of life or limitations suffocates. But we must continue to do what we can and "keep swimming," instead of giving up.

Being stuck in a life you didn't choose can leave you feeling hopeless. But Paul Tripp has an interesting insight:

"So it is with suffering; it never leaves you the same. You run into the traps of temptation that greet every sufferer and are left with a cruel harvest in your heart and relationships, or you run toward the comforts of grace, which shine most brightly in the darkness of suffering, and reap a harvest of blessing. Yes, you may continue to suffer, or its effects may remain, but you now live with a changed heart, a sturdier faith, and a joy that suffering cannot take away." Paul Tripp

Where do you find yourself today? Are you left with the "cruel harvest" of bitterness, cynicism, and hopelessness? Or has God's grace done a work in your heart?

If you, like me, find yourself on either side of the spectrum depending on the day, continue to press in and find comfort and strength in the arms of the Father. You may not have chosen your life, but God has, and His ways are always good. Perhaps they don't feel good, but they will reap good fruit if you will humbly submit yourself to His plan. He will not waste your suffering.