wondered about that I haven ’ t experienced yet . Some of you wonder what it would feel like to take a ride in a hot air balloon or scream with your hands over your head on a roller coaster . My list is a little different . I wonder what it would feel like to fall into a pit of quicksand . I know it sounds crazy ; quicksand is not the kind of thing you find close by . Nevertheless , I have been studying up , so I will know what to do if it happens to me by mistake or I do it on purpose . From what I ’ m told , the more you try to get out of quicksand , the deeper you sink in . It also doesn ’ t occur very quickly , but “ slow sand ” doesn ’ t sound as ominous , so they keep the name for the movies .
Feeling stuck and slowly sinking is not an experience limited to being stuck in quicksand . We can find ourselves stuck in relationships , jobs , and even a crisis of faith where we feel like we ’ re slowly sinking with no escape route . Here ’ s a pro tip if you fall in quicksand : don ’ t try so hard to get out . I know
it sounds counterintuitive , but perhaps you need to push back against the alarm bells you have been listening to that tell you to strive , hustle , and look like you have it together . Stop trying so hard to make it all happen right now ; our instinct to overachieve may be killing the authentic version of us that is itching to impact the world over a longer time .
Admit it , we can get so busy trying to help God that we miss out on what God is already doing in and around us . If our head is constantly down , striving and hustling , we might miss the new opportunities , the delightful new friendships , and the beauty God has placed in our paths . I am not saying that tenacity or hard work is bad . These can be good and honorable and redemptive . But for some of us , we need to come clean and realize that , in all our thrashing about , we are sinking down more in the muck than we are getting out of it . If this is you , God ’ s word might be this : Be still , and know that I am God .
36