by Clayton Shankland
In Isaiah 42:16 we read these words:

“I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight.”

A sign on a certain road in Australia reads, “Choose your rut well. You’ll be in it for the next twenty miles.”

It’s a funny thing about ruts. They don’t have to be miles long. They can be months long – maybe even years long. And ruts don’t have to be rough either. They can be smooth, simply because they have been traveled in for so long.

Lately I’ve realized that I’m quite familiar with ruts and that I’ve been traveling in lots of them for a long, long time. For example:

– I favor familiar hymns with lines that rhyme.
– I’m suspicious of people whose attire is different.
– I withdraw from people whose customs are foreign to me.
– I’ll try to sit in the same seat every Sunday.
– I’ll mingle with the same friends all year long.
– I quote and requote the same Bible verses.
– And I like my steak medium to medium rare, and I don’t plan to change that one.

Yes, staying in a rut is comfortable. But eventually stagnation sets in, and then we face the really tough job of pulling ourselves out of the rut.

Take a few minutes this week to look at the road you’re traveling. Do you see any old, well-worn ruts? Do they restrict your journey to the narrow lanes where you can’t see the scenery?

Prayer:

Free us from the bondage of habit, Father, and refresh our souls. Amen.