Escape the Hamster Wheel
Moving Up Higher
By Joyce Meyer

If you’ve ever been to a pet store, you may have seen the hamster cages with the big wheel in them. Have you ever watched a hamster run on one of those wheels? He may start off slow to get his bearings, but as soon as he gets comfortable he really kicks it into high gear. With the determination of a w o r l d - c l a s s sprinter, he puts his head down and gives it all he’s got. His short legs are moving so fast you can’t even see them.

The little hamster is really working hard now. He’s almost exhausted, but continues to keep up the pace. Think about what the payoff is for all his effort. A little exercise? The fact is that even though that hamster can run himself into a state of exhaustion, he never gets anywhere and he never gets a thing for his trouble. You and I can experience this too. When we spend our lives taking all matters into our own hands, trying to control, fix and figure out everything, we end up just like that poor little hamster. We’ve generated a lot of activity, but we have nothing to show for all the effort.

Without God’s grace in our lives, we can do nothing. We can try but our efforts will always come up fruitless. His grace makes all things possible, but without it we are going nowhere fast.

You see, God’s grace is His unmerited favor, which is an awesome thing. But it is so much more than that. God’s grace is His power and ability to do with ease what we could not do otherwise.

I used to be trapped on that hamster wheel—trying to do everything in my own strength. I was always trying. Trying to be good and walk in the fruit of the Spirit. Trying to be a good wife and submit to my husband. Trying to be a good mother and teach my kids the difference between right and wrong. Trying to pray more and be more consistent in reading my Bible. I tried and tried until I almost died! I was disappointed and frustrated. The harder I tried, the more frustrated I became. That’s when a little light bulb went on over my head. I was trying to do it all myself in my own strength. I came to realize that I was putting myself under the same legal bondage Jesus died to save me from! Trying to live under the burden of the Law was only bringing me disappointment and frustration. I needed a way off the hamster wheel. What I needed was a good, healthy dose of God’s grace.

Once I was able to understand what the bondage of the Law was doing to me, it was evident I needed to repent and surrender— give up control—and allow God to fully take over. I prayed a simple prayer asking God to forgive me and help me let go of everything I was trying to control. I felt a new infilling of His grace, and I was able to get off that wheel.

If God can change me (and He continues to everyday), He can change anybody. Keep praying and keep letting go and letting God have all those things that are causing you frustration and disappointment. You can escape the hamster wheel!

For more on this topic, you may order Joyce’s six-part series, Grace, Grace, and More Grace, which is available by calling 1- 800-727-9673 or visiting www.joycemeyer.org. Author/teacher Joyce Meyer has been helping people overcome life’s problems through biblical keys to practical Christian living since 1976. Her radio and television programs are broadcast throughout the United States and much of the world. For additional information, you may contact Joyce Meyer Ministries at P.O. Box 655, Fenton, MO, 63026 or visit www.joycemeyer.org  

CG