When Life Feels Stuck: Waiting For a Breakthrough
The strategies that got you this far suddenly stopped working. Everyone says to level up, but nobody explains what that actually means.
Everyone, at some point, finds themselves waiting for something big to happen, even when they’re not sure it ever will. That’s the heart of Genesis 18: a chapter about waiting, believing, doubting, choosing, and seeing with new eyes.
God is the space between thoughts where real knowing lives.
The Surprise Guests: Noticing More Than Meets the Eye
Here’s how the story begins:
“Yahweh appeared to him [Abraham] by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and saw that three men stood near him...” (Genesis 18:1-2 WEB)
Abraham is sitting alone by his tent during the hottest part of the day, probably tired, maybe lost in thought. Suddenly, he notices three visitors. He runs out to greet them, eager to serve.
- The story literally describes Abraham (a man very old and settled, with big unfulfilled dreams) welcoming three strangers.
- Symbolically, Abraham is the part of you that chooses, waits, and wonders: “Will what I really want ever become real?”
The three visitors represent new possibilities. They show up when you least expect them, but only if you are willing to look up and notice. Sometimes, opportunities appear ordinary—like a chance meeting, a fresh idea, or a small invitation. The first lesson is: Most breakthroughs don’t start with fireworks. They start by noticing what’s right in front of you.
When was the last time you noticed something small that turned out to be important? Did you welcome it—or ignore it?
The Power of Yes: When You Say Yes to Serving Others
Every great building starts with someone willing to leave where they are.
Abraham rushes to make food and care for his guests, even though it’s inconvenient.
“He said, ‘My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please don’t go away from your servant. Now let a little water be fetched, wash your feet, and rest yourselves…’” (Genesis 18:3-4 WEB)
- Literally: Abraham gives hospitality—water, bread, and shade.
- Inner meaning: This is about making room in your life for new hopes, ideas, or people, even when you’re tired or busy. Sometimes, saying “yes” to what’s new is what lets your biggest desires move forward.
Abraham’s “serving” sets the stage for breakthrough. When you make space for new possibilities and treat them as important, you open the door for something greater.
The Impossible Promise: Hearing Good News About Your Deepest Dream
The three visitors eat, rest, and then ask where Sarah is. Sarah, Abraham’s wife, has always wanted a child—but she’s long past the age where having a baby is normal. She has given up hope.
That moment when you realize. Like Noah learned
Picture James, who waited three years for his startup funding and learned crucial skills during the delay.
“He said, ‘I will certainly return to you when the season comes around. Behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.’ Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him.” (Genesis 18:10 WEB)
- Literally: The guests (one of whom is speaking with the authority of God) promise the impossible: Sarah, who is elderly, will finally have her baby within a year.
- Inner meaning: The “child” is your biggest wish—the thing you want so much it almost hurts to hope for. For one person, this might be turning their side project into a real business. For another, a loving relationship, or a healing, or dreaming big after years of disappointment.
Think of this as the moment when what you want most is told, “Yes, it’s still possible. You can have it.” The promise comes, not when you have proof, but when you are willing to listen, even with doubt.
The pattern repeats: wanted something for so long you stopped believing it was possible?
The Honest Struggle: Doubt, Laughter, and Hidden Wishes
Development Insight: Visualization before manifestation becomes a spiritual practice.
Visualization isn't wishful thinking—it's how you tune into what's trying to emerge.
Sarah overhears the promise and laughs quietly to herself. She thinks, “There’s no way.” She hides her doubt, but the visitor knows.
“Sarah laughed within herself, saying, ‘After I have grown old will I have pleasure, my lord being old also?’... Yahweh said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh… Is anything too hard for Yahweh?’” (Genesis 18:12-14 WEB)
- Literally: Sarah is caught doubting, but the guests (representing pure awareness) see through her feelings and encourage her to trust anyway.
- Symbolically: Every big desire is paired with doubt. Part of you longs to believe; another part thinks, “Be real, that’ll never happen for me.” The power in this story is that doubt is met with gentle truth, not punishment. Laughter is just part of the process.
When your deepest wishes feel impossible, it’s okay if you doubt. The bigger part of you (the part that truly sees who you are) knows what is possible, no matter what your limited awareness says.
Are you honest about your doubts, or do you hide them—even from yourself? How would it feel to let your hopes and doubts live side by side for a while?
Practice seeing the solution, not the problem. Watch how quickly things shift.
Here’s the key: Even when you don’t believe, the process continues. The promise stands.
Standing Up For What You Believe: Abraham Pleads For Sodom
After the meal, the visitors prepare to go. But before they leave, God tells Abraham about a decision to destroy Sodom, a nearby city with serious problems. Abraham bravely speaks up for the city.
“Abraham came near, and said, ‘Will you consume the righteous with the wicked?’” (Genesis 18:23 WEB)
He asks, “What if there are fifty good people in the city? Will you destroy it?” God says, “No.” Abraham keeps asking—forty five, forty, thirty, twenty, even ten. Each time, the answer is: for the sake of a few good people, the whole city would be spared.
- Literally: Abraham is bargaining with God, standing up for what is right.
- Symbolically: This is when you start claiming your power to speak up—not just for yourself, but for the best part of every situation. Even when the odds seem bad, you search for even a tiny bit of hope, goodness, or potential and appeal to it.
In your own life, maybe you defend a project that’s not working out, fight for a relationship, or keep believing in someone who seems lost. This conversation shows that persistence matters. Keeping hope, even for a small amount of good, can change everything.
The connection strengthens with use, weakens with neglect. Like any relationship.
Bigger Lessons: Why Genesis 18 Matters for Real Life
If you step back and look at everything in this story, you’ll see that it’s not just about ancient families or impossible births—it’s about awareness expanding, right in the middle of tough situations:
- Abraham is the chooser in you—willing to notice new possibilities, show hospitality to new ideas, and stand up for the good.
- Sarah is your creative side—the deeper part of you that wants things but sometimes laughs at your own dreams, secretly hoping for a miracle.
- The visiting strangers are new possibilities—ideas or opportunities that show up when you’re not even looking, often disguised as something ordinary.
- God is pure awareness—the part of you that sees everything, offers the real promise, and patiently invites you to believe, even when it feels impossible.
The whole process is a dance:
- You notice (Abraham at his tent door): Am I open to new ideas, or just stuck in my habits?
- You serve (makes space inside for something new): Where am I willing to welcome new opportunities?
- You receive a promise (hope returns): What is my biggest hope, even if it feels silly to admit?
- You doubt but keep listening (Sarah laughs): Can I let doubt and hope exist together without giving up?
- You speak up for what matters (Abraham pleads): Where am I being called to stand up for my dreams—or for others?
Think about an entrepreneur who, after years of setbacks, meets a mentor where she least expects it—at a coffee shop, not a fancy event. She almost ignores the chance to share her story, but then she does. The mentor gives honest feedback and new ideas. Later, when her doubts surface (“I’m too late, it’ll never work”), she remembers the encouragement and keeps going. She also stands up for her own struggling business in a meeting, even when others are ready to quit. That is Genesis 18 in action.
Pop Culture Example: couples who adopt after years of trying’s Unlikely NFL Comeback
Think about couples who adopt after years of trying, a quarterback known not just for his sports career, but for keeping his faith and helping others. After losing his starting job, he was written off by many. But Tebow kept working, waiting, and hoping—publicly thanking his team, serving in local communities, and training as if opportunity would come. When he was called back for another shot in the NFL, people laughed at the idea. Still, he stood up for himself, faced doubters, and gave it his all. Whether or not he “won” in the traditional sense, his story is about opening up to possibilities, welcoming challenges, and remaining hopeful and persistent even when things seem impossible. He believed, even through laughter and doubt—just like Sarah and Abraham.
Try This Today: Making Room For The Impossible
If you feel stuck or tired and worry nothing will ever really change, take ten minutes before bed tonight:
- Sit quietly. Notice any new ideas, feelings, or “strangers” you’ve ignored lately. Is there an email you never answered, a meeting you keep putting off, a dream you keep downplaying?
- Pick one and give it your full attention. What happens if, just for today, you make a little room for it, even if it feels pointless?
- Write down your real hope—the one you half-believe in and half-laugh at.
- Tell yourself: “I don’t have to believe 100% right now. My job is just to notice, welcome, and not give up.”
Every major change in life starts with welcoming new awareness, serving it, allowing for both hope and doubt, and standing up for what matters inside you. When you do that, you might be closer to your dream than you think.
What’s Next: Genesis 19 Preview
Next time, you’ll see what happens when old patterns break down and difficult choices have to be made. Genesis 19 is about recognizing when to move on—and how to trust your own awareness when things get urgent. You’ll see the difference between holding onto what’s dying and stepping bravely into something new—even when it means leaving old comfort zones behind.
Relate to problems as puzzles and they become solvable.
Remember, your awareness is always expanding. Every day gives a fresh chance to notice, choose, and welcome the next step—no matter how ordinary it looks. This is where breakthroughs really begin.
