I Got Nothin’

(What To Do When All Else Fails)

This week I hit the wall. I have been very excited about creating this blog. The ideas for topics, thus far, have easily poured out onto the page. However, this week I’ve had no promptings or nudgings about a topic, so today I come to the page with what seems like nothing. I must admit that I have stolen this phrase from one of the guys on my trivia team. He is a history guru. When challenged with any historical question, the team turns to him and he usually answers it quite correctly and thoroughly. Sometimes when we turn to him for the answer, he shrugs his shoulders and blurts out “I got nothin’.”

Well, ladies and gents, that’s where I am today. What to do when you hit the wall.

What do you do when you have a presentation/lesson/discussion at work and you don’t know where to begin? Or perhaps you’re in a stage of life where the future is uncertain and there appears to be no options on the horizon. Or you may be a mom of a challenging two-year-old and right now in your frustration you would like to take a long vacation without children. For me, the page is beginning to be filled but I don’t know where it’s heading. Is there a panacea for this? I wish life was that simple.

So…Let’s talk about Baby Steps. (please click on the link)

The movie, What About Bob, is one of my favorites. There is some truth in the hilarity of that scene. Have you ever started out the day with the hope and expectation that everything on your to-do list was going to be accomplished effortlessly? Or you woke up in a very dark mood and you didn’t want to get out of bed. It happens to all of us.

One day on the way to my teaching job, I had been especially fatigued. I hoped for a smooth, uneventful day. What was I thinking? It was middle school! (I once thought about writing a book containing anecdotes about teaching middle school with the subtitle “There’s Always A Crisis.”) This specific day I noticed one of my favorite students was squirming on his science lab stool. I got distracted and did not address this odd behavior until 20 minutes later. Then I looked back and he was crying. I rushed back and discovered that he had stuck his little finger in a minute hole on the metal rim of the stool. It had become grossly swollen and was hopelessly stuck. The bell rang and I knew that the class from hell, where any distraction set them flying, was about to enter the room. I called the front office and they sent for the paramedics. Imagine a diminuitive, vulnerable pre-teen now weeping and wailing at the top of his lungs. The class from hell barged in and were thrilled to partake in the drama. Just then the paramedics in all of their earnestness and uniforms came rushing in, and then there was me without a megaphone screaming at the top of my lungs for everyone to sit down. This sheds a new light on the meaning of the word pandemonium, doesn’t it? Not the day that I had envisioned. Did I want to quit my job? Absolutely. Did I think that I could take one more day of this insanity? Absolutely not. Did I get up the next morning and try it again? Reluctantly, yes. Sometimes we just need to crawl. The important thing is that there is some sort of movement away from giving up, no matter how small.

“Begin whatever you’re doing by remembering that you are here and have been given the gift of life.”

Rob Bell, How To Be Here

This ain’t no dress rehearsal! Have you ever heard that expression? I don’t think that it hurts to be reminded of the fact that life is a gift. “You have a life you get to create” states Rob Bell in his book, How To Be Here. For some of us the creation of that life seems like a well-oiled machine and for others with harrowing circumstances it is a true struggle and uphill battle.

“There is a divine plan of goodness for us and our work, but we must go along with the plan in order that it may transpire.”

Finding Water (The Art of Perseverance)

How do we specifically go along with the divine plan? By trusting. For me, when faced with the blank page, it’s trusting that God will show up and help me with the concepts that need to be expressed. Or God will give me the strength to go on one more day. How about for you? Where do you need help in trusting God? We each have our challenges, our struggles, and hopefully, our victories. Make a list of some challenges that you have had and God has gotten you through them. Would love to hear your input or stories on this subject. Go to the very end of this post and leave a comment, if you feel led to do so. Would love for you to share this blog post with others as encouragement.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Carol

For your encouragement and refreshment

Finding Water (The Art of Perseverance) – Julia Cameron

How To Be Here – Rob Bell

Only The Good Stuff(Multivitamins for the Soul) – Ann Voskamp