Skip to main content

That Squeezed Feeling




While speaking with my very pregnant daughter on the phone the other day, she reminded me of the discomfort I felt when, like her, I was 37 weeks along and she was in my tummy!  Oh, yeah, a baby pressing against my bladder, I remember.  Feeling elbows and knees kicking me and wondering if I was black and blue on the inside.  I thought of my little granddaughter growing bigger and getting ready to make her debut into the world.  How uncomfortable the squeeze must be for her.  I spoke out loud: “She’s in that too tight place!  Imagine her displeasure too.”

That too tight place.  When I got off the phone I thought about a message I once heard about that place that’s too tight – a place of nuisance.  It’s temporary.  It’s horrible!  I found my journal notes and revived my spirit.  Here’s what I read:

A tight place is a place when you are not there yet.   You’re getting closer, but you have not yet embraced the answer, or the result or arrived in some way.  You may look okay on the outside, but people do not know how miserable you are on the inside.  Change is coming.  It will be good, but right now you feel uncomfortable.  It’s the middle place, and that’s stressful.  You have to wait; waiting means pressure.

The teacher cited Jesus in the Garden.  Gethsemane was the place of temptation.  It was His too tight place.  He prayed, alone.  His friends slept.  He was afraid.  His emotions were raw.  The Father strengthened Him.  He was able to go on.  Jesus understands the too tight place.

I’ve experienced the too tight place many times.  Things don’t always make sense.  So what’s the best way to get through it?  I read further in the journal.   Jesus is right there in it.  His Name, Savior, means peace!  I close with this encouragement:

But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:32

This post links to Tell Me A True Story.

Comments

  1. a joyful noiseFebruary 21, 2014 at 12:17 AM

    Your post about tight places reminded me of the caterpillar who pushes and bends until he escapes his cocoon and emerges as a butterfly. Our old earth suit will one day be shed and we shall at once appear in our glorified body. In the mean while we know these tight places in life are only temporary and the light shines at the end of the tunnel. Thank you for sharing with us here at "Tell Me a Story" Oh yes, congratulations on your new granddaughter!

    ReplyDelete
  2. DeniseFebruary 21, 2014 at 2:30 PM

    Amen my friend.

    ReplyDelete
  3. DeeFebruary 21, 2014 at 2:31 PM

    I am so happy I stopped by...your post explained exactly how I have felt lately...in a tight place....it is encouraging to be reminded that Jesus is right there....My tight place is not so cramped anymore and soon I will have wiggle around room :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. DeeFebruary 21, 2014 at 2:31 PM

    I am so happy I stopped by...your post explained exactly how I have felt lately...in a tight place....it is encouraging to be reminded that Jesus is right there....My tight place is not so cramped anymore and soon I will have wiggle around room :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mevely317February 23, 2014 at 1:53 PM

    Great lesson, Mary. This made me think of the caterpillar, having to endure the cocoon on its journey to become a butterfly.

    It's a girl?!? Yea!!! I'm so thrilled for you all, especially Susana. Can't wait to see pictures and learn her name!

    Hugs,
    Myra

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Memorial Day Reflection

  Memorial Day is always noteworthy for me and my girls.  Next Thursday marks the third year of missing their father, my husband. So many thoughts  run through my mind.  The journey of loss takes on various emotions.  The strongest feeling, at first, was emptiness.  In a split second, I would forget he departed forever.  I imagined things I needed to talk to him about when he got back home.  My mind is realistic now.  He's not coming back.  There will be no more times of sitting on the porch swing together on the front deck staring at the moon and the stars.  He would tell me all he knew about the majestic night sky. I have so much I wish I could tell him, like the excitement of seeing our oldest grandchild make a decision to follow Jesus and get baptized on Mother's Day!  And our little Amy, 11 years old, I wish he could have seen her on stage receiving her induction to the National Honor Society. Our daughters have their own ...
24 comments
Read more

Spiritual Sundays ~ Not Just For Prophets

I smiled when I heard Pat Robertson on the 700 Club make this remark: “Doesn’t everyone talk to God?” He was referring to the jab that Joy Behar gave to Christine O’Donnell, running for Senate in Delaware. Christine was asked by one of her supporters why she goes out on a limb defending her conservative Christian convictions in such a hostile campaign. “Because God told me to” she replied. And for that, Joy called her crazy because she hears from God. The cry of my heart is to be able to hear God’s voice. When God speaks personally, there’s nothing else like it in the whole world. I studied the 25th chapter of Genesis this week and noticed how troubled Rebekah was during her pregnancy. She said “Why is this happening to me?” She was referring to the jostling in her womb. So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her: “Two Nations are in your womb, And two peoples from within you will be separated; One people will be stronger than the other And the older will serve the y...
27 comments
Read more

A Veteran's Story

  I noticed Bill sitting in our local park where I walk.   He glanced my way just as I finished the last exercise walk song on my playlist.   He shouted and pointed to my car:   “Hey, is that your car with the Nam front license plate?   I stepped closer into the veranda where Bill sat on a picnic bench.   I noticed his Vietnam Vet cap and instantly I knew why I walked there that day.   The Marine Vet served during the 1960’s, the same time span as my husband.   Bill talked a lot about the war evoking my emotions from laughter to tears.   My South Vietnam front plate often prompts a conversation with a stranger and I’ve learned a deep respect for it over the years.   It is my way of listening to a veteran.   I enjoyed listening to Bill.   He made me laugh in spots but he made me cry as well.   Like when he talked about the sandwich lady.   “Do you ever eat at the sandwich shop in the gas station down the street...
26 comments
Read more