What To Do When There’s Nothing You Can Do

What do you do when you feel . . . stuck? We all face questions without answers and problems for which there seem to be no good solutions. We look at our current reality and realize nothing within our power can change it. We can’t redo those years, erase the diagnosis, or completely heal that relationship. It’s easy to become resentful, be overcome with regret, or compare ourselves to other people.

When up against seemingly impossible situations, we’re tempted to cut and run or find ways to ease the pain. We’re desperate for solutions, but our only options can sometimes lead to well . . . more problems.

When we’ve done all we can do by ourselves—when we’ve come to the end of our rope—we look for something or someone bigger than ourselves.

We ask, “Where is God?” or “How could God let this happen?” And if he won’t cooperate, could it be he simply doesn’t care or perhaps doesn’t even exist?

On the contrary, during these times, God sends us a lifeline. He promises that in our greatest weakness his power reaches its fullest potential.

In other words, the presence of adversity isn’t an argument for the absence of God.

The pages of history are rife with people who faced struggles of enormous magnitude, yet continued to steadily plod forward without losing confidence in God. Their stories show evidence of God’s promise at work in the midst of their darkest moments.

So what do you do when there’s nothing you can do? Acknowledging your pain—owning it, while not being defined by it—is the first step to receiving the grace, power, and strength you need.

Embracing your inability to move forward could be the very thing that helps you move forward.