New Ruts

Monday, November 19, 2007
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Proverbs 4:26 – Carefully consider the path for your feet, and all your ways will be established. (HCSB)

We had an unbelievably long winter last year with record amounts of snow. From the first snowfall till the snow was mostly melted was six long months. We also had seven feet of snow last year — the most we have had in over seventy years. Because of that, our streets were a mess.

Snow was packed down on the streets very deeply. Every time it snowed, it would get packed down a bit more, a bit deeper, until there were twelve to eighteen inches of hard-packed snow on which we were driving. When it got a bit warmer, the weight of the vehicles would then make a rut. In the residential areas of town, we would all drive in the same spot, making the rut deeper and deeper as the days progressed. When we were in the rut, it would throw our vehicle back and forth as we followed the rut. There wasn't much we could do about it.

Then, I noticed that some of the drivers were driving a few inches beside the deep rut. That way, they weren't in the rut — they were above the rut. It took a lot of effort not to go into the rut in the first place, and then, to stay out of the rut took a lot of concentration. What happened, though, was interesting. It wasn't long until there was a new rut being formed. It was also getting deeper as time went on. Once we were driving in the new rut, it also threw our vehicle around, but it was a new rut. Maybe it was a better rut.

I thought that so many times we get into a rut in our lives. It is a habit; it is easy; it is comfortable; it is what we know. It could be the way we speak to others; it could be our attitude towards situations in life; it could be the way we spend our free time. Whatever it is, it is all we know, and we feel safe there. It is very hard to get out of the well-known rut and change some things in our lives. The old rut is so engraved in our way of life. Oh, let's be mindful of the old, destructive ruts in our lives and learn new, healthy ways to live.

Prayer: O Lord, so many times we don't realize we are in an unhealthy rut until we see some damage caused by what we have done or not done. Help us, we pray, to keep our eyes on You and to learn new ways of living, in order to bring honour and glory to Your name. We want to be like You, Jesus. We humble ourselves before You. Amen.

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About the author:

Judy Miller <gjmiller@telusplanet.net>
Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada

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