April 19, 2016 SHARE: Reading time: two minutes. Stuck is bad. “Stuck” even sounds bad. “Stuck in the mud.” “Stuck in the muck.” “Stuck in a rut.” Stuck. Yuck! I’m not going to get all political, but the Republicans and the Democrats are both such easy examples of being stuck. They’re all stuck in ruts of rhetoric, party platforms, and short attention spans. Nobody’s listening. They can’t. They’re stuck. Intellectual health means having a healthy curiosity about the thoughts, hopes and dreams of someone else. It’s a willingness to truly and sincerely listen; to take the daring and dangerous risk of learning something new and having my horizons get un-stuck. Easter and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead un-sticks everything. Easter sets us free from sin and death and also from a stuck perspective about the people around us.Easter changes everything, including the way we think. The decaying earth, my aging body and the unraveling of the culture around us are constantly creaming, “Death!” It’s so easy to meet someone new and think, “Yeah, yeah. I know what you’re thinking.” It’s so easy to fall into the bad intellectual habits of my fallen nature and think I have the person in the next pew all figured out. Or the person in the next pulpit down the road. In the midst of death, decay and being stuck in an intellectual rut, Easter screams, “Life! New! Surprising! Fresh! Alive!” Intellectual health is rediscovering the awe and wonder of Mary, the disciples and the 500 who saw Jesus alive, risen from the dead and saying, “Wow! That changes everything!” Paul said it destroyed all the walls that divided Jew and Gentile. Both groups were stuck in their centuries old, long established, set hard as rock opinions about one another. The resurrection of Jesus made all of that brand new. Both Jews and Gentiles that remained stuck missed out on the gospel of Jesus. “Can’t be. Couldn’t happen. Doesn’t fit my way of thinking.” Tragic. Stuck. Are you “stuck” in any of your relationships? Is there someone who needs another chance? What would happen if you said, “I’d like to understand better what you’re thinking” and had a good, open, caring conversation? Or is there someone with whom you need to try again to share your heart? Maybe she hasn’t heard you completely. Maybe you can try again to share your thoughts and feelings. That’s intellectual health. It says, “I want to understand.” It’s like a fresh beginning. Like Easter. Thanks for reading. Our ministry is made possible by the generous donations of people just like you. Click here to discover how simple it is to make your gift of any size to Grace Place Wellness. Do you know someone who might be interested in becoming a major benefactor to sponsor a retreat in your area? Our President/CEO Randy Fauser would love to hear from you today!