Navigating Life’s Rapids

Over the years, If you ever wanted to witness joy filled laughter from my youngest grand kids just mention our tubing adventure in the North Georgia Mountains. Picture a day filled with SUV rides, oversized life jackets, and a trio of little ones sandwiched between four adults in massive black tubes. The promise of a three-hour float down a mountain river brimming with excitement quickly turned into a comedy of errors.

Within thirty minutes, my husband, affectionately known as Pop, found himself stranded on a slippery rock, accompanied by youngest Granddaughter Bella, who had chosen him as her tube captain. Their see-saw antics to free themselves provided hysterical laughter form the entire crew of us, but this scenario replayed itself throughout our journey, turning what should have been a “just long enough” ride into a six-hour ordeal.

As Pop and Bella repeatedly got stuck between rocks, family laughter turned into cold discomfort. The sun dipped behind the trees, and the once-gentle river grew faster and more challenging. By the end, the littles were blue with cold, the adults were exhausted, and reassurances of, “We will get unstuck, and it will all be OK!” felt more like wishful thinking.

This tubing escapade mirrors life’s struggles, where getting stuck is all too familiar. Since the first publication of my book LIFE UNSTUCK: finding Peace with your Past; Purpose in your Present and Passion for your Future, I have kept my fingers on the pulse of my readers and event attendees, sharing my thoughts on being stuck. The response continues to be an overwhelming—YES—THAT IS ME!

Relationships, finances, marriage – the list goes on. We’ve all been there. Maybe are there now. STUCK! AGAIN!!

In my personal pursuit of a life unstuck, I never let go of my faithful life map found in Psalm 139. For over thirty years, this chapter has been my daily companion, offering twenty-four life-changing verses that illuminate the path to freedom.

Getting stuck is easy; getting unstuck is a bigger challenge for sure but it is a PROMISE!

Our reasons for being stuck vary – past mistakes, rocky relationships, or personal struggles. The journey to an unstuck life isn’t unique; it’s a destination God desires for all His daughters. As John 10:10 tells us, Jesus came to give us abundant life.

But what does abundant life look like? How free can we be on this earth? These questions form the basis of our journey, and the central message is clear:

God wants us unstuck, experiencing peace with our past, purpose in our present, and passion for our future.

Psalm 139 serves as our roadmap, unraveling a plan for women who sense something missing, hidden, or unspeakable holding them back.

I don’t know about you, but my guess is that 2023 did not pass by without SOME STUCK STUFF!

As we embark on this 2024 journey together, one step at a time, let’s allow God to do a new thing in our hearts with a TIMELESS OLD MESSAGE!

So, let’s claim this FREEDOM together, my sister.

Let’s navigate life’s rapids and revel in the freedom God desires for His precious daughters.

I will be sharing that journey with you here on my bog in the coming weeks.

I hope you will join me.

Subscribe to my blog, join me on Instagram for weekly encouragement and check out my podcast Permission to Pause. We need one another.

Lets do this!

Pat