Purposely stick yourself between a Rock and a Hard Place.

That is my advice today.

Oh, you think that sounds uncomfortable? Maybe stifling and stressful? Lonely, depressing, frustrating and exhausting? Yeah, it is. It’s not nice or easy or relaxing.

It is amazing though.

There is a part of you, that you rarely let come out to play. It’s in your heart, and your gut too. Some versions of the Bible may say it’s in your bowels. Anyway, it’s in there deep. There lives power in you. It is profound and able to shape life. Your life, and those around you. To tap into it, we’ve got to be in the vise. In the pressure cooker. At least I do.

Some people seem to access their inner well of creativity and energy easily.

Not me. I’ve been identified, by my world-class coach, as a risk-taker. This means that normal levels of risk don’t affect me. Like a druggie who doesn’t get high anymore from a few small puffs. I need the hard-core stuff. I need the Rock and I need the Hard Place.

So that’s where I’ve been lately. Stuffed down in a slice of space between immovables. Truthfully, it’s been about money, about a commitment I’ve made. A bite that was bigger than I could chew. I don’t like to fall short of my commitments. Meaning, it rips my guts into pieces, to have a conversation like;  “I didn’t do, what I said I would do.” There; that’s the Hard Place.

Let’s talk Rock. I do by Grace, have a Rock in my life. Jesus is with me. Through all this crazy self-induced turmoil, I have grown to know this force of God. I have grip always when I steadily commit to keeping the Word as part of my week. Along with every junky trap, I snap upon myself, He abides. His Love, Real Love, Blows My Mind, Body and Soul Daily.

So there.

What happens when you really feel the heat and pressure between a Hard Place and The Rock? Combustion Baby! Explosion! We expand, our pistons crank. We shift, maybe even imperceptively slightly, but we do. My week proves that movement is inevitable. Our soul can’t be kept. It won’t stop. It isn’t capable of stuck-ness or stagnation or sitting still. There is always motion available. There is always a new perspective. There is surprise and release that energetically goes up, when we go down… into the deep dark hole.

What happens without the Hard Place? I’ve been there. Life is pretty fine. It’s Beige and Neutral. It doesn’t really hurt. It’s not too exciting. Maybe perfectly grey, for some, is bliss.

What happens without the Rock? I’ve been there too. We keep digging, we keep filling our empty hole in our soul with stuff, or liquor or another solution after the other hundreds of solutions that were going to work before. We try and try and try to fix it on our own. Impossibly.

We need them both. An impossible spot makes room for miracles. How does it happen? What are the mechanics and how do I explain, how it can work for you? I don’t know. I can’t tell you, how yours will go. Find that Rock first. Then invite the Hard Place in. That would be a smarter way. I do things backwards. I’m a risk-taker. I try to do it myself first. Then I fail, then I cry, then I finally give up, and quit fighting. I become limp and flexible. I care so little that my bones disintegrate. When only Spirit is left, we can float. We easily slip, slide and even dance along the trusty solid surface of our Rock. And the Hard Place whines, powerlessly.

I was told this week that I crossed an invisible line. An important one. I know there will be many more to come. I write these words to reflect upon, next time I’m smashed and crunched, and dying of fear, alone, again believing a Lie, that there is no way out.

There is. With Him. Always.

Sincerely,

Aaron Nichols