The Wreck That Woke Me Up
I remember sitting in the wreckage of my car, chest tight, lungs barely pulling in enough air to stay calm.
One minute I was driving to a garage sale, thinking I might find some used books to stock a Christian bookstore I wanted to start. I was finally trying to do something good. Something with purpose.
Then it happened. A head-on collision. My car was totaled. No savings. No backup plan. Just the sound of metal, glass, and dreams falling apart.
That same day, my brothers—who were living with me—wrecked their car too. It felt like everything was collapsing. And in that moment, I didn’t just feel disappointed. I felt cursed. Like God was pulling the plug on what little hope I had.
I couldn’t breathe right. I wasn’t just shaken. I was wrecked in my spirit.
The Lie We Start to Believe
When you hit moments like that, something dark tries to settle in. A whisper that grows louder:
“You’re broken.”
“You’ll never get it together.”
“Something’s wrong with you.”
And the more we listen, the more we accept it as truth. I did. For a long time. I started to believe I was defective. Like I wasn’t meant to win. Like some men were built for strength, purpose, clarity—and I wasn’t one of them.
What Stuck Really Feels Like
But here’s what I know now:
I wasn’t broken. I was just stuck.
There’s a difference.
Being stuck doesn’t mean you’re weak or lazy. It means you’ve been living in survival mode so long, you forgot what normal feels like.
It looks like:
- Starting over every Monday and crashing by Thursday
- Hiding behind food, porn, alcohol, or games
- Avoiding your mirror, your bank account, your Bible
- Feeling exhausted from trying but terrified to stop
Stuck isn’t about being incapable. It’s about being buried. Under shame. Under failure. Under old patterns you never learned how to break.
You Don’t Need to Be Fixed
Here’s the truth: you don’t need to be fixed. You need to move.
Not in giant leaps. Just in steps.
The moment I stopped calling myself broken, something shifted. I stopped waiting for rescue and started taking responsibility. Not because I had all the answers. But because I couldn’t keep living on the edge of collapse.
One decision. One habit. One conversation. That’s all it takes to start momentum.
Where to Start When You’re Stuck
If you’re here right now, reading this, still breathing—you’re not done.
Start with:
- A glass of water instead of another drink
- A walk outside instead of another scroll
- Fifteen minutes alone with God, even if you feel nothing
You don’t have to rebuild your life tonight. You just have to take one step.
And then another.
That’s how we get unstuck.
Ready to Start Strong?
I wrote a 31-day devotional called Start Strong for men like us—men who want to get their life back and follow God without faking it.
It’s free. No fluff. Just a daily shot of truth, discipline, and hope.
Click below to get it. And start moving.
You’re not broken.
You’re just stuck.
And stuck can be changed.
