Stuck in Life? Try This!
The story of my son getting stuck on a boulder has some amazing life lessons and parallels we can draw from it about leaning on God and trusting Him to help us get unstuck.
My husband helping Jacob off the boulder outside of Yosemite.
Episode Discussion Points
The story of my son Jacob getting stuck on top of a boulder outside of Yosemite National Park.
How I saw him and sent my husband to help him down.
What my husband did to help him off the ledge
How this story parallels God watching out for us and how he sends the Savior who:
Invites us to come unto Him
To trust Him
To lean on Him as he bears our weight and helps us down
How He will help each of us in to solve situations that are unique and different for each of us in a unique way
Bible Verse Shared
Matthew 7: 7-11
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
Here we learn God wants us to ask, seek and knock. We also learn that if earthly parents can give imperfect help to their children, we need to trust God even more to provide the right solution when we are stuck.
#tamarakanderson #storiesofhopeinhardtimes #podcast #hope #God #hardtimes #stuck #paralyzed #help #needhelp #trust #comeuntome #JesusChrist #leanonGod #Godhelps #trustGod
Transcription
You can find the transcription of today's episode here:
Tamara Anderson 0:03
Have you ever felt stuck in life? Maybe you're just stuck in a situation you don't know what to do. If that's the case, I want to share with you a awesome story that happened to our family. This past spring break that will give you some tips as to how you can get unstuck in your life. Stay tuned.
Tamara Anderson 0:31
Welcome to Stories of Hope in Hard Times, the show that explores how people endure and even thrive in difficult times. All with God's help. I'm your host Tamara K Anderson. Join me on a journey to find inspiring stories of hope and wisdom learned in life's hardest moments. Hello, and welcome to the Stories of Hope in Hard Times podcast. I'm your host Tamara K Anderson. And on today's Tamara's takeaway, I first of all want to thank you for being with me at the start of 2022. Oh, my goodness, you guys, can you believe it's a new year, and it is the beginning of my fourth year of podcasting. Wow, that is a lot of podcasts. I think we're on episode 133 or something like that. But that is a lot of podcasts. So thanks for joining with me whether you're new to the podcast, or if you've been with me all along. Thanks for sticking with me as we learn lessons from stories.
Tamara Anderson 1:40
And today I'm going to tell you a story that happened to our family this past spring break. So for spring break, my husband and I decided to take our kids to California. And we wanted to take them to visit Yosemite and the great Sequoias. And it involved a whole bunch of driving, but it was absolutely wonderful to see those big trees and to see these beautiful vistas in Yosemite it was just phenomenal.
Tamara Anderson 2:10
So as we were coming into Yosemite Park, you follow a river. And the river is just beautiful thing picture mountains on either side, with jagged granite cliffs. And through erosion these granite cliffs have dropped boulders of all shapes and sizes down into the river below. In some places, it forms beautiful waterfalls. And in other places, the river actually has to go round these huge ginormous granite boulders that have just dropped off the mountain side. And so there's there's all different shapes and colors. And it's just it's so picturesque and beautiful. And because it was so beautiful, we decided to pull over to the side of the road. And we were taking pictures and the kids were out.
Tamara Anderson 3:03
And Jacob being our most active climber of the bunch, he decided he was going to climb this huge, probably 50-60 foot boulder that he was right there by the side of the river. And so he found a little spot to climb up and he scaled up and he climbed on top of the boulder. And, you know, he wrote pose at the top with the arms extended, he did it he got to the top. And then he scooted over to the edge and peeked over to the edge to see how high he hung up he was and after spending some time looking at the river and the VISTA, he was like, you know, I'm gonna climb down now.
Tamara Anderson 3:47
And so he started coming down where he thought he had come up and he got to a certain point and he was just like, too, and I was watching him at this point. And I could see the wheels turning in his head and I could see him starting to think, Okay, I've got this, I could see that it was about a 15 foot drop down to the ground. And maybe maybe 15 to 20 foot drop to the ground. And I could see the wheels and his heads turning and I thought he is thinking about jumping. And there were all these little rocks at the bottom of all different shapes and sizes. So I knew if he jumped that he would probably hurt himself. He'd probably turn an ankle or God forbid break a leg or something like that. And so as I could see those wheels in his head turning I called out to him said Hey, Jacob, stop. Don't you dare jump. Obviously he could have and anyway. But I said Do you need some help? And he said yeah, I think so.
Tamara Anderson 4:49
And so I called my husband over and I said Justin go help Jacob get down from that so he doesn't get hurt. And so my husband went over to the edge of this boulder And he said, Jacob, Come here to me to this little spot right here. And Jacob went over there and, and he said, I am going to lift my arms up as high as I can. And I want you to turn around. And I'll guide your feet down. And I'll catch them. And you hold on to the Boulder, and I'll slowly let you down this at this very spot.
Tamara Anderson 5:28
And so that is what they did, he went over there, and he reached his hands up as high as he could. And Jacob turned around and got some handholds on the boulder and slowly started lowering his feet down. Of course, I'm watching from the distance. And Justin guided his feet, he said, Okay, a little to your left a little to your right, and he got his feet on my husband's hands, and my husband was able to kind of lower him to his shoulders, and then slowly lower his body down to where Jacob could just jump to the ground. And so Jacob got down off the boulder. Nice and safe, nobody got hurt, we didn't have to take any visits to the emergency room in the middle of our trip, which I'm very thankful. We got down, okay.
Tamara Anderson 6:17
But I've been thinking about this story a little bit since that time. And I've been thinking about how many times in life, do we find ourselves in a situation where we feel stuck. And we're not sure how to get out of the situation. And it looks like if we try to figure it out on our own, there's some really painful ways that we could probably get down really quickly or get out really quickly. But that's not the best way. And we're trying to figure out a brainstorm. How do I get out of this situation? What do I do? How did I get in this mess to begin with?
Tamara Anderson 6:56
You know, and at those times, it is nice to know that we have a heavenly parent spotting us. He's watching us from heaven and saying, I see you on the edge of that boulder, I see that you're stuck. Wait right there, I have someone that I'm going to send to you. And that's the Savior. And Jesus comes. And he might come to a part of the boulder that you're not out. And he says, I'm going to reach up. And I'm going to stretch as far as I can. And I need you to trust me, and lean into me, I lean into the rock. And I will help you down. I will carry you as my burden. And I will help you down from being stuck. I'll help you find a way out. Even when you think I'm stuck and no one can help me. And I love that image.
Tamara Anderson 8:05
And there's a verse in by in the Bible in Matthew chapter seven, where I think these these words have kind of been playing over and over in my mind for me when I feel stuck. And this is what Jesus said, Ask and it shall be given you seek and you shall find, knock, and it shall be opened unto you. So he's saying, if you're stuck, ask, seek, knock, do a little bit of work. Call out to me through prayer, seek for answers. Knock around, see if you can figure it out. And then the promise for everyone that asketh receiveth. And he that seeketh findeth. And to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Tamara Anderson 8:54
And then this promise which ties into parents and fathers and mothers. "Or what man is there a view who if his son asked bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he asked a fish? Will he give him a serpent? If he then being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children? How much more shall your Father which is in heaven? Give good things to them that ask him."
Tamara Anderson 9:21
So if you're feeling stuck, like my son, Jacob was up on that big granite Boulder, ask, ask for help. Because if my husband and I being imperfect parents wanted to help our son, and did our best to get him off that boulder by by our help are very imperfect help. And I promise you that whatever God whatever way God has for you will be the right solution for you to get unstuck. And even if you and I are in the Same stuck situation, your solution and weigh off that boulder might be different than mine, because we each are unique and have different paths.
Tamara Anderson 10:10
And so we've got to trust that when we ask and start getting a thought to do something or go somewhere, or maybe if you're researching something and feel prompted to do something, and someone else says, Why was in that situation, I did this, but you don't feel good about that. Then you got to trust that whatever solution God is guiding you towards is the right solution for you. Because you are unique, and you're going to get stuck on boulders that other people aren't going to get stuck on. And I'm going to get stuck on boulders that you're not going to get stuck on. And so the great news is that God being God, and a perfect and all knowing and loving God is going to guide you through your situation in a perfect way for you. And he's going to guide me through my perfectly stuck situation in the right way for me. And it's so good to know that as we ask and seek for answers and ways off of things that were stuck in. That he'll provide the way.
Tamara Anderson 11:20
Isn't it great to know that as you set goals this year, or maybe you don't want to set goals this year, because you've never accomplished anything that you set out to do, that God has the right solution for you with your story. Maybe he wants you to do something simple at the beginning of this new year. Maybe it's I don't know, to connect with him on a daily basis. And as you do that, he'll help you take other strides forward. But whatever you're supposed to do is going to be unique for you.
Tamara Anderson 12:00
So my friends, wherever you are stuck in life, and whenever you are stuck in life, whether it be on a boulders edge, or in a situation that you wish you weren't and know that God sees you know that he says, Come Come to me. And that he will help you down and find a way out of that situation. It might be a quick solution. And it might take months and even years. But he will help you through and out of it. He will bear you up. And he will even carry you and your weight if you need that. I know this because he's helped me.
Tamara Anderson 12:50
Just earlier this week, I was trying to plan a lesson for church class that I teach. And I just couldn't figure out the right way to teach it. And finally, I just turned to God. And I said, What do you want me to do? I'm feeling stuck here. How am I supposed to teach this to my class. And as soon as I asked, these ideas started coming to me, and I had to set and give it time. Probably an hour's worth of thinking and pondering. And then I went got up and this is early in the morning, by the way--4:30 I don't know why God always answers me at 4:30 in the morning, but I'll take it.
Tamara Anderson 13:32
And I got up and I wrote it down. And as I was writing it down, more ideas came. So sometimes answers come in ideas when you're feeling stuck. And other times they come through other people. Or maybe as you're doing research online and you just feel guided to do something else. But he'll help you. So my friends, set your goals turned to God, trust him that when he invites you to come to Him, He will not lead you astray. And he will help you in the right way for you. And you'll get down safe. Remember that he loves you and wants what's best for you. Trust Him. Hope on my friends.
Tamara Anderson 14:19
Are you lookingfor a gift for a friend, sister or mother who is really struggling right now and you're not sure what to get them? It's hard for me to sometimes find those gifts. And so today I'm so excited to tell you about this booklet The mother's might it's a perfect simple, inexpensive gift you can give your friends, your family, your sisters, anyone that you want to share this story with and it will be meaningful. It's not just a little piece of candy that they eat and forget. It's something they can read over and over again because so often we as women feel alone and overwhelmed and burdened and like there's So many things weighing upon our shoulders. And what I love about this story is that it points us to Jesus Christ in our times of trouble, that he understands us. He loves us, He knows what we're going through, and he is more than willing to help us bear that burden. And I love that about this story that it gives not only me hope, but it will convey that sense of hope for all of you. So, get your copy of it today, Tamra K anderson.com/store, you can order one to 10-20 however many you want, and we will get those to you so you can get them distributed. All right now on to our show.
Tamara Anderson 15:45
Hey, thanks so much for listening to today's show. If you liked what you heard, subscribe so you can get your weekly dose of powerful stories of hope. I know there are many of you out there who are going through a hard time, and I hope you found useful things that you can apply to your own life in today's podcast. If you'd like to access the show notes of today's show, please visit my website storiesofhopepodcast.com. There you will find a summary of today's show, the transcript and one of my favorite takeaways. You know, if someone kept coming to mind during today's episode, perhaps that means that you should share this episode with them. Maybe there was a story shared or quote, or a scripture verse that they really really need to hear. So go ahead and share this podcast. May God bless you, especially if you are struggling with hope to carry on and with the strength to keep going when things get tough. Remember to walk with Christ and He will help you bear the burden. And above all outs. Remember God loves you