Ruts
Recently I’ve noticed that I’ve been in a rut. Ruts of doing the same things day in and day out. Everyone looks the same, and I have a hard time sometimes differentiating one week from another. When someone asks you what you did yesterday or last week, and you can’t honestly remember in great detail, that might be an indication you are in a rut. There are good ruts to have and maybe not so good ruts to have. Good ruts to have would be being loyal to your family, jobs, your church community, or your devotion to God. Not-so-good ruts could be how much shopping you might be doing or how much time you spend on social media.
I heard it said in an interview once that life begins when we take risks that take us out of our comfort zones. There is some truth to that. If we always stay within our comfort zone, we never really experience anything new, and therefore don’t experience life to the fullest.
Let’s make 2023 a year of getting out of some of our ruts and try getting out of “our boats” and stepping out on the waters.
God has blessed us with so many things in our humanity; the ability to explore, the capacity to enjoy other persons, and five senses to enjoy creation (see beautiful things, taste delicious foods, hear beautiful music and sounds of the earth, touch and taste many wonderful things), if only we would take some risks to try new things. John 10:10 reminds us that God is the author of life and invites us to experience life to the fullest and to enjoy and glorify him in the process.
Hebrews 10:24, 25 says “that we should encourage or spur one another toward love and good deeds.” So let me spur and encourage you to get out of some of your old ruts and try something new.
If you try changing something or doing something new once a month that will be 12 new things you will experience that might refresh you in new ways this year. You might be pleasantly surprised to find new activities to enjoy or new relationships as you serve in ways that take you out of your comfort zone.
Here are some things I’m thinking of trying in the coming months just to try something new.
- Join a ping pong club
- Join a walking group in my neighborhood
- Learn a musical instrument
- Order something totally different on a menu instead of the normal foods I order
- Listen to a different genre of music
Hopefully in six months you can ask me what new “ruts” I am developing, and how God is meeting me in those places, or ways that I am taking a risk and stepping out of my safety boat to try something new.
Below is a Frances Chan sermon illustration that has challenged me to take some risks for God. Enjoy!