There Is Always a Way Around an Obstacle if You Look Hard Enough

When you feel stuck take a closer look

Is the obstacle in front of you really an obstacle?

There is probably a way around it if you listen closely for the solution.

We were walking along Main Street in our little town when I noticed this gate completely unattached from any surrounding fencing. I chuckled because I thought about how I often looked at life this way — seeing an obstacle where none exists.

Sometimes we plan a path for ourselves and we don’t envision any other way to reach our destination. Or we find ourselves on a path we no longer wish to continue. But we may feel stuck and unable to see the way forward. The questions we need to ask ourselves when we feel this way are:

Is there a different way forward? Is this obstacle really an obstacle?

Don’t get stuck

I remember this feeling all too well. I had chosen a career path that I had put a lot of time and energy into which wasn’t producing the fulfillment I had envisioned it would. On top of that, I had set up a lifestyle that revolved around the income from my current job within my career path. I kept working because I perceived that I needed the money. I wanted to quit so many times but the idea of the bills slapped me back into reality and whipped me into toeing the line.

At the point that I knew I was in an environment where I was not supposed to be, I felt stuck. Trapped. I know many of you would say, Well, why didn’t you just get another job? The answer to that is long and complex, but the short version is that what I wanted to do, what I know I was created to do, and what I had started doing but put aside for the security of a regular paycheck, was to write.

Not that one has to be unemployed to write, in fact, most writers certainly don’t have the luxury to not work somewhere at something while they snatch writing time in the off-hours or on weekends or lunch breaks. The problem was I was so burned out I couldn’t see the forest for the trees.

I didn’t have the margin in my life to even think about my options. I didn’t see a creative solution to my dilemma so I kept banging away at it day after day.

When an opportunity came for me to slow down by making a lateral move to a different role that would afford me the freedom from endless travel, I grabbed it. Initially, I thought it would be the only step I needed to take to reinvent myself and reduce the trapped feeling.

Life has a funny way of squeezing you until you get it right

My move was the proverbial out-of-the-fire-and-into-the-frying-pan move. It wasn’t a bold enough move, it wasn’t propelling me toward my true destiny, and it didn’t offer the freedom my mind needed to resurrect my writing life. I was miserable in a different way. But that move did one important thing for me — it gave me a little bit of breathing space and margin in my mind to think.

The ability to think and reflect is one of God’s greatest gifts to mankind

I began to think of solutions to my problem and also listen for the small voice that I believe is God guiding and directing me. It didn’t come in the form of a brilliant new career idea. It sounded more like this: Start painting your home. Hmmmm…that didn’t sound so earth-shattering but it sounded strangely familiar to many of God’s directives to His people over the years.

“Abraham, leave your homeland. You don’t need to know where you’re going, just go.”

“Joshua, start marching around this city for seven days.”

“Gideon, gather an army and then send most of the soldiers home.”

“Noah, build an ark even though it’s never rained here.”

“Peter, cast your net over here even though I know you tried to catch something all night and came up empty.”

I started painting the house

Painting, like sweeping, walking, or washing dishes by hand is a mindless, repetitive activity that doesn’t require brain energy but keeps you busy while your brain redirects into problem-solving or creativity mode.

While I painted, my mind freed itself from having to figure out the plan and was able to simply listen for it. After all, God knows what I need so I don’t need to strive to figure out the solution, I just need to be available to hear His direction and sense His leading.

“Before enlightenment; chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment; chop wood, carry water.” ~Zen Proverb

With my mind freed up to be creative and open to ideas, I finally came to the realization that there was more than one way around my problem. The house, along with all its necessary upkeep, was consuming my income; therefore if I sold my house and downsized, I’d have more income and that would afford me some freedom to pursue something else. I didn’t have to stay within my same field or even make the same amount of money. I had been looking at my obstacle and not seeing that it wasn’t one.

Make sure the obstacle in front of you is truly an obstacle before conceding that you’re stuck.

When you can’t see your way around a problem, it might be best to take a break from trying to solve it

You don’t have to paint all the rooms in your house but you could try one of the ideas below to jumpstart your brain into thinking outside the box.

• take a walk
• sweep the deck or the floors
• vacuum
• scrub tile
• yoga, swim, or another exercise
• take a shower
• do something creative like knit, paint, or color (adult coloring books are proving to be a great anti-anxiety tool)
• do a jigsaw puzzle
• bake, cook, chop vegetables
• drive through a park or the scenic countryside (no busy roads!)
• mow the lawn
• brush the dog
• hang laundry out to dry
• pull weeds

If your problem is a temporary one and you simply need a break, these simple methods might work quickly, but if your obstacle is bit more convoluted and has grown into blob-like proportions in your mind, you might need to go back to these tasks over and over like I did as I painted my way through the house.

Bonus: it feels good to accomplish something when we are stuck. We may not have the solution to our big pressing issue, but we are taking action and that always propels us forward.

Stress can trick us into not being able to see alternatives or options. Take a step back and look around — are you truly stuck or is there a different way forward? Your way around might simply start with one step or a paint stroke at a time.

Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase. -Martin Luther King Jr.

This story is published in Koinonia — stories by Christians to encourage, entertain, and empower you in your faith, food, fitness, family, and fun.

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