Living in the Rut

It may be February, but there’s still time for “new year/new me” changes. Are you living in a rut that you are struggling to get out of?

Can I improve something in my life without change?  I’ve been looking for a new outcome using old actions, but the result is always the same. It may be time for a new strategy. 

Have you ever driven down an old dirt road after a heavy rain?  The sun has dried the mud into hard ridges, and should your wheels slip into the rut, it’s hard to pull them back out. That’s kind of like life. It’s hard to change habits and attitudes that have been formed over many years. It may be easier to just keep living in the rut even if it’s uncomfortable and hard to navigate.

Birthing a new thing is never easy, and sometimes I would rather sit in the pain I know than face the unknown of change. How badly do I want a different outcome? What am I missing because I am afraid of change? Am I ever too old to form new and improved habits? These are some questions I need to ask as I look in the mirror. 

In “Cultivate what matters”, Lara Casey asks the question, “what will matter to you when you’re 80?”  Am I planting the seeds of a garden that will grow what I want to harvest when I’m older?  I highly recommend her insightful and encouraging podcast if you desire new strategies and growth within your own life. 

Self-examination is much more painful than the examination of others but so much more beneficial. There is nothing to be gained in being critical of how others need to change. Examining my thought life is a crucial part of self-examination. The only person I can change is me. And even that can’t be accomplished on my own.
God can work change in me through his Word and through people speaking truth into my life. But I have to be willing to listen. 

God, examine me and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any bad thing in me. Lead me on the road to everlasting life.‭‭

Psalms 139:23-24