Photo used by permission from Istock.com
Do you feel trapped by a situation or problem? An expert on this issue might be Nicholas White who was once trapped in a New York City elevator for 40 hours in October 1999, before a voice from the elevator intercom finally asked, “Is anybody in there?”
Before he was rescued, Nicholas, tried everything he could think of to get out. He even pried open the elevator doors to discover that a brick wall blocked his escape. He ran the alarms repeatedly, called for help and even tried prayer.
Perhaps you can relate to Nicholas’ plight because of unresolved problems you are experiencing. So the question is, what do you do when you feel trapped? How do you cope when your search for solutions leads you to brick walls that block your escape? Interestingly, someone posed this question to the experience project forum. I was intrigued by an answer from ‘jason’ who said:
“Had exact same problem. … Said to God: God ! What’s at the real bottom of this nonsense in my life. He said: Pray for your enemies FORGIVENESS. Before that I was like; stupid Bible, tells you to pray for your enemies but don’t say WHAT ! Yeah, I know Jesus prayed for his enemies’ forgiveness on the cross but that were a little different weren’t it. I mean; he went and prayed in a mountain. Should I do that too ? Anyhows, I always do and BAM homelessness/restlessness/financial burden cares etc. ALL GONE !”
Do we have to feel trapped forever? No, and that’s the good news. Even White was eventually rescued from that elevator. I believe you will be rescued too, especially if you pay attention to Jason’s advice to forgive your enemies.
I don’t know Mr. White, and I don’t know how he processed his emotional trauma following his ordeal. However, I do know that when he walked into the elevator that Friday night, planning to return to his office following a smoke break, he walked from one life into another. He’s no longer employed by the magazine he worked for before his smoke break. He’s also received what he called a ‘low’ settlement that didn’t stretch to cover all his bills, and he’s experienced other setbacks. However, I would recommend to him or to anyone who feels trapped or traumatized by their own brick walls to give it up to God, to forgive, and to allow God’s presence more deeply into your life. If you don’t know how to do that, check out the survey questions on GodTest.com to help you discover hope.
In the meantime, remember, “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.” Palms 31:24.
To see a time lapse of Mr. White’s ordeal, go to:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_bMhNI_TY8
Linda Evans Shepherd, the President of Right to the Heart, is also the publisher of Finding God Daily, and pens many of the articles. She’s been married for over 30 years and has two children. She’s also the author of over 30 books, including: When You Don’t Know What to Pray, How to Talk to God About Anything.
