--- title: Mud, Not Cement description: Are you feeling stuck right now? Sheri Wohlfert shares inspiration from the prophet Jeremiah. image: https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/mud-not-cement.jpg --- [![catholic-mom-logo-v2](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/images/catholic-mom-logo-v2.svg "catholic-mom-logo-v2")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) [![search-icon](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/search-icon.svg)](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2020/04/17/mud-not-cement/#) # Mud, Not Cement Apr 17, 2020 6:30:02 PM  |  by [Sheri Wohlfert](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/sheri-wohlfert) ![featured image](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/mud-not-cement.jpg) [caption id="attachment_170693" align="aligncenter" width="800"]!["Mud, not cement" by Sheri Wohlfert (CatholicMom.com)](http://catholicmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/mud-not-cement.jpg) Image: [Pixabay.com](”https://pixabay.com/images/id-114348/”) (2011), CC0/PD[/caption] > ... and Jeremiah sank down into the mud. (Jeremiah 38:6b) My oldest brother and I had a favorite thing to do when we were little. It involved a couple of illegal ingredients for little kids. In our back yard, we had an old cement fish pool. Before Dad filled it in with dirt and Mom made it a flower garden, it used to collect rain water. If we could get out to play before the water drained through the cracks in the cement, we could scoop up our first ingredient; water. Dirt, the second ingredient, was easier to find. The third magic ingredient was the tricky one! If we could get rain water and dirt, we knew all we needed was shaving cream. Our house was tiny, so sneaking out the door with two handfuls of shaving cream squirted as quietly as possible took some skill. When we managed to pull it off we’d create the worlds best mud pies in the back of Jim’s big yellow Tonka dump truck. With sticks to stir and army men and toy animals to stick in the mud pie, we were set for a long afternoon of great fun! When I became a mother myself, it occurred to me that mom probably knew exactly what we were doing and just enjoyed the peace and quiet and maybe even the thought of her oldest two playing together happily. [caption id="attachment_170694" align="aligncenter" width="800"]!["Mud, not cement" by Sheri Wohlfert (CatholicMom.com)](http://catholicmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/mud-not-cement-2.jpg) Image: [Pexels.com](”https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-orange-dump-truck-toy-1186477/”) (2018), CC0/PD[/caption] When I read this line about the prophet Jeremiah, I remembered the sight of all those toys sticking in the mud pies we used to make. It got me to thinking about the times we get stuck in the mud ourselves. Sometimes we wallow and struggle and just dig in deeper. Sometimes we get stuck because of the choices we make and sometimes we get stuck as a result of the choices others make. Right about now, many folks are feeling a little stuck. Stuck at home, stuck in fear, stuck in a situation we feel unqualified and unprepared for. The anxiety and uncertainty of the pandemic can swallow us if we let it. The good news is, mud is different than cement. We can get out of the mud; it doesn’t trap us like cement! It will take some work, but it’s absolutely worth the struggle. [tweet "God doesn’t want us to stay right where we are. He isn’t going to leave us stuck in this situation. By @joyfulsheri"] God doesn’t want us to stay right where we are. He isn’t going to leave us stuck in this situation. It may feel like cement, but it’s really just mud, and getting unstuck is possible because of His grace and love for us. This isn’t permanent, and He’s inviting us to reach up our hands and allow him to rescue us. Staying right where we are isn’t the Father's choice; the truth is, we are either moving toward Him or away from Him, never staying just where we are. He wants us to move closer to Him, and sometimes He allows us to get stuck in the mud so we can realize how much we need Him. ***A Seed To Plant: ***Are you stuck? What are you stuck in the middle of right now that is preventing you from moving closer to the Father? Hold out your hand and ask Him to pull you out! Blessings on your day! --- *Copyright 2020 Sheri Wohlfert* ### Share this article [![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2020%2F04%2F17%2Fmud-not-cement%2F%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2020%2F04%2F17%2Fmud-not-cement%2F%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2020%2F04%2F17%2Fmud-not-cement%2F%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=Mud%2C%20Not%20Cement) [![Share on Email](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/email-24x24.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2020%2F04%2F17%2Fmud-not-cement%2F%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2020%2F04%2F17%2Fmud-not-cement%2F%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ** #### About the Author ![Sheri Wohlfert](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/Contriubutors/SHERI%20WOHLFERT.jpeg) ### [Sheri Wohlfert](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/sheri-wohlfert) Sheri is a Catholic wife, mom, speaker and teacher. She uses her great sense of humor and her deep faith to help others discover the joy of being a child of God. Her roots are in Kansas but her home is in Michigan. The mission of her ministry is to encourage others to look at the simple ways we can all find God doing amazing things smack dab in the middle of the laundry, ball games, farm chores and the hundred other things we manage to cram into a day. Sheri also writes at [JoyfulWords.org](http://www.joyfulwords.org). ## Related Blog Articles [ They Taught Me Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2014/09/19/they-taught-me) [ 6 Friendship Strategies for Shy Kids Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/6-friendship-strategies-for-shy-kids) [ 23 Years of Lessons Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2016/01/22/23-years-of-lessons) ## Comments ## Donate now [![Support Catholic Mom](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/275132/10016573-1c5c-4aa5-baba-c2ac91fe7545.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/275132/10016573-1c5c-4aa5-baba-c2ac91fe7545) [![CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png?width=1806&height=731&name=CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png "CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) ##### Subscribe to Catholic Momcast on iTunes or Spotify [![itunes-logo-black](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/logos/itunes-logo-black.svg)](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/catholic-momcast/id1362352357)[![spotify-logo-black](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/logos/spotify-logo-black.svg)](https://open.spotify.com/show/15CoipHL7z61IDcYErV0b8?si=hqaQJSxDQgq7S1hxCwsoxQ) ##### CatholicMom on Social Networks [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) ##### About Catholic Mom [Who We Are](https://www.catholicmom.com/about-us) [Contact Us](https://www.catholicmom.com/contact) [Support CatholicMom.com](https://www.catholicmom.com/support-us)   ##### Associated Links [Holy Cross Family Ministries](https://www.hcfm.org/) [Family Rosary](https://www.familyrosary.org/) [Family Theater Productions](https://www.familytheater.org/) [Congregation of the Holy Cross](https://www.holycrossusa.org/) [Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C.](https://www.fatherpeyton.org/) [The Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life](https://www.peytonfamilyinstitute.org/) ### **Stay connected!** Don’t miss a thing! 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