Stuck in the Mud

As children, we often played ‘stuck in the mud’. One child was chosen to be ‘it’ or ‘on’. He/she chased and tried to touch (tag) the others. If you were tagged you were ‘stuck in the mud’. Standing with your legs apart, you were stuck. You became unstuck if an untagged child crawled through your legs. Once unstuck, you continued running around trying to avoid being tagged again.

I came across this wonderful song: ‘I was stuck in the mud in a bunch of trouble, muddy from my head to my toes…’ It tells of a hippopotamus who’s stuck in the mud. A giraffe tries to pull him out but he gets pulled in and gets stuck too, as does an elephant, a monkey and a lion. Five animals are stuck in the mud in a whole lot of trouble…  

This morning, I read about the prophet Jeremiah. He tells the people that the Babylonian army will defeat their city. Only if they surrender will their lives be spared. His words were unpopular, undermining the morale of the army and the people. He was put into a cistern with mud in the bottom. He was left alone – stuck in the mud.

Eventually Jeremiah’s rescued. Talking to King Zedekiah Jeremiah explains that the state of the nation is such that it’s Zedekiah – ‘You’re feet are stuck in the mud, your friends have deserted you.’

Musing…

…Times when I’ve been stuck in a load of metaphorical mud. Sometimes, as in the playground, a friend has come and helped me to become unstuck… sometimes as in the song, I’ve dragged others into the mud with me… sometimes, as with Jeremiah, I’ve been alone… sometimes, like Zedekiah, I’ve needed my mud-stuckness to be pointed out…

…David’s experience of his God:

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
    out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
    and gave me a firm place to stand.

I’m grateful that David’s experience has been my experience too.