Quicksand

My daughter loves to watch nature shows. One particular show she was watching had a man teaching survival tactics. This particular episode, he purposefully hopped into a mess of quicksand to demonstrate how to get yourself out of it. Rather than wrestle against the pressure, he relaxed his body, and grabbed a large stick. He then leaned his upper body over the stick and wiggled out of the quicksand. Life can often feel like quicksand. Everything around you is tight and no matter how hard you fight, you just sink deeper and deeper.
In these times, instead of wrestling with God, we need to be still and grab a branch. In Jeremiah 23:5-6, Jesus is referred to as a "righteous branch". He is much stronger and much more reliable than any stick on a forest floor!
So, why do we panic? I do it too. I know that I should just stop, breathe and look to Jesus. Unfortunately I am forgetful and often don't utilize the most precious resource available to me.
When Jesus called Peter out onto the water with Him, he steadied Peter. It was Peter who took his eyes off of Jesus, and began to sink. (Matthew 14:30-31)
Are you sinking? Are the pressures of life pressing in on the walls around you? Do you feel like you are up to your nose in quicksand? Stop. Breathe. Look to Jesus. Your branch. He will save you!