Living Life to the Full I would like to talk about an interesting topic: ruts. Being in a rut can be unproductive, yet easy to do. Not only that, but it can hinder you from stepping out and trying new things. A rut is not necessarily a routine, an action, or a set of actions. A rut can also be more of a mindset—its basically the opposite of flexibility and desire for change. So you can have a rut thats never manifested outwardly and that no one might know of but you. And even you might not notice it until you ask Jesus to show you if you have any ruts in your life. This does not mean that routines or stable schedules are bad. The detrimental side of ruts is a lack of flexibility and willingness to change, or lack of willingness to try something new. I was thinking about some examples of ruts that might never manifest themselves outwardly, but that can still hinder our service to Jesus and growth in the personal and professional areas of our lives. Here are some ideas: • You can be in a rut in the way you relate to those you minister to in your mission work. • You can be in a rut in the way you react negatively or defensively to a certain person. If you always react to someone (even inwardly) in the same unfruitful way, you wont benefit from your interaction with them, and they probably wont either, which may hinder your relationship or ability to work together. • You can be in a rut in the way you think of certain things; for example, your business meetings, whether mission-related or employment-related. If your mentality is that theyre boring, or unnecessary, or people talk too much, or the topics arent applicable to you, or whatever, you probably arent contributing in a new and fresh way, and aren’t being the blessing to others that you could be. You may not have new ideas during those meetings because youre not open to them and looking for them. • You can be in a rut in the way you look at sharing the Gospel. You can challenge the way youve always done things. You can look for ways to improve. You can step out with faith to try new things! • You can be in a rut in the way you look at your current employment, or certain aspects of your employment. Maybe portions of it are a real chore for you, or you dont enjoy them or even dread them, and you just try to get through them without thinking about it much, which can cause you to be closed to fresh ideas that could make that part of your job easier, faster, more inspiring, or more efficient. Those are just a few examples, and Im sure Jesus can lead you if you will ask Him about breaking out of any unproductive or unhelpful ruts you might have in your life. Jesus, speaking in prophecy: Being willing to flow with the way Im leading—whether that means changing things around or sticking with an established routine—will help you to bear fruit and reap the greatest success. When you are weighing up the need for change, you can consult with Me, for I can lead you to what will be successful. It is not My plan for you to waste time, effort, money, and other valuable resources by changing things that dont need to be changed and that are effective as they are. But there will likely also be times when I will show you to try something new or encourage you to step out of the familiar. Some areas in your life are always changing, and thats just what youve come to expect. Thats good, and I ask you to grow from the changes in your life that are for the most part beyond your control. But there are other areas where My leading in your life isnt likely to cause as much movement—and these are the areas that could sometimes stand a little changing to help you stay stirred up and to provide a safeguard against developing ruts that hold you back from what would be a more effective way to be or to do things. Breaking out of ruts can also lead to increased flexibility and yieldedness, which is beneficial to your spiritual life. Embracing the change I orchestrate in your life will keep you flexible. Be mindful of the two sides of this issue: Theres a time to build and a time to tear down, a time to get in a groove and a time to break out of the groove. There is a time to change, and there is a time to stick in your niche and routine.
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 05:19:42 +0000
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