This is a familiar situation on a rice farm at harvest. The field is soft from standing in water most of the summer. Many fields have soft spots. As a  young lad growing up on my dad’s rice farm, I stuck a few tractors. But never like this. Never! Dad didn’t find anything funny about burying a tractor or combine.

There is only one reason for a tractor to be stuck this bad. PRIDE! A good farm hand knows when to stop spinning. Tractor tires have huge lugs for traction. When they spin, they turn into shovels. Every spin takes you down deeper & deeper.

It will take the farmer a half day & 4 to 6 large tractors to pull this one out. Here’s the bottom line, tractors get stuck at harvest. But PRIDE and self-centeredness make it worse…every time.

Getting stuck is part of life. Sometimes we are just going along, having a good day when BAM, we fall into a hole, spin and begin to sink. My default response has been “power through it.” Give it more gas. Pay no attention to that sinking feeling. Telling myself “I can do this.”

Maybe you are stuck. It could be a mudhole relationship with family, friends, at work or even at church. Maybe it’s a financial sink hole you fell into, or it could be a hopeless health situation. I have discovered almost all my problems have a spiritual core. What do you do?

First… Stop! More of the same thinking & effort will only make it worse. It’s time to humbly accept that you need help.

Next, seek help from someone who can see the situation clearly, has a history of wise decisions and has the power & resources to fix the problem. Too many times, we  call our buddy (who thinks just like us) to bring his car and rope to the field to pull us out. It never works.

Next, know it’s going to be muddy & messy. My dad always had me drag the log chain through the mud to hook up the tractors. It’s easy getting stuck. But it will take power to get you out. There will always be great resistance.

In 1994 I found myself in a serious health hole. One of my doctors told me, “You are in a 10% survival group.” I had cancer! God taught me so much through that experience. I had a great professional medical team that I trusted. I also recognized neither I, nor the medial team, had control over “if” I would survive.

Where did that confidence & strength come from? It started 9 months before reading Proverbs every day. So, on that Monday afternoon when my doctor said, “that’s cancer and you have to deal with it.” God was there beside me. The story of Peter in the storm came to my heart. You can find it in Matthew 14:22-33. This would be my strength. I knew I must keep my eyes on Jesus. No-Matter-What! I didn’t get distracted by the storm of medical information. I read His Word and talked to Him. He was my Hope…my Authority. “Jesus, I’m not taking my eyes off you!”

You may need to add professionals to your team, but first, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.” 1 Peter 5:6. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead & guide you through the mud. John 14:26 “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

Note: We need professionals on your team. God gave Moses craftsman to build the Tabernacle in Exodus 28:3, “Instruct all the skilled craftsmen whom I (God) have filled with the spirit of wisdom.” Professionals have their role but so do I. My job is to be the spiritual leader and keep my eyes on The Authority. 2 Chronicles 20:12, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

Then we may proclaim, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” Psalm 28:7