This is my contribution for Five Minute Friday, a weekly linkup of writers who free write for five minutes on an assigned word. Our word for this week: Stuck.

I’ve been reading a lot about the Sandwich Generation lately in an effort to better understand my people…my tribe of fellow gooey “sandwich” centers. (I like to think we are comprised of Nutella, because Nutella is amazing.)

The Sandwich Generation that I find myself in is the generation described as those who are in their 40s/50s and are simultaneously supporting their own children while caring for aging parents. We’re stuck in the middle, so to speak.

Being in this generation is like a wild rollercoaster of responsibility. Lots of ups and downs. Kind of bumpy at times. The views are simultaneously terrifying and utterly amazing. There may be nausea.

And while “stuck” is a word that can be used to describe the Sandwich Generation, I don’t really believe I’m stuck at all.

I think “placed” is a much better word.

I’ve been placed here by God. He knew long before I came along that I would be here in this moment with my family. He knew I’d have an amazing husband and that we’d have teenaged sons and aging parents. He knew that there would be challenges with both and that the weight of responsibilities would, at times, feel enormous.

But He also knew how I’d need Him. He also knew how He’d never leave me. He also knew that in these challenging times, I would look to him like never before.

In Ecclesiastes 3, we read that there’s a time…a season…for everything. How good it is to know that no matter what the season…no matter what the generation…He is there.

Even if we ever feel more “stuck” than “placed.”

God is with us.