Breaking Out of Ruts


 

As I “physical therapy” my way out of the boot and try to transition back to a more normal routine of walking, I was struck by the image of this worn track around the tether ball pole. An amazing circular path, worn down by many feet over many years, this path is the very definition of a “rut”. The same movement, over and over and over again, leads to getting deeper and deeper into the rut. Even if you love tether ball, you are not going to see much change of scenery. Round and round you’ll go. The circle gets no wider, only deeper.
Our lives can feel stuck in such a rut. We go through the same routine each day, see the same faces, hear the same voices. We can fulfill the same tasks day after day. We can lose sight of the “why” of our lives. We can stop feeling purposeful. Things that once brought us joy can become frustrating. We can fail to see God at work in our life or in the lives of those around us.
This is a shared human experience. We can so easily fall into such a routine. It isn’t so much about what we are doing as it is about what we are seeing, of what we are aware. Life is still happening. There are new things to learn and new challenges to embrace and new opportunities to grow as a person. These never stop. The answer to breaking out of our rut may be, not on the outside, but on the inside. The Apostle writes, “The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing!”
May we all be awake this day to what God is doing in our life and In our world. Let us break out of our ruts and truly live. God wants our circle to grow wider, not deeper. God desires that we live life to the fullest.
Peace.

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