Stuck in a rut
I have often heard a comment when people seem to be immobilized in life about them being “stuck in a rut.”
Another adage equates the rut with a grave suggesting that covering oneself up and relenting to your demise may be the best course of action.
Since there is only a slim chance any of us reading this are likely driving a covered wagon to get stuck in the rut, and even a lesser number are actually grave diggers, I will suggest, we have the ability to change our direction without filling our own grave with us in it.
However, often we might seem to be like the proverbial mouse on the turning wheel, getting nowhere in our efforts to redirect our lives.
Can we get out of the rut and “In the groove?” That’s another one of those descriptors meaning we have everything going our way. It reflects the needle within the jazz record groove moving smoothly over the surface of the album or the jazz talents being in sync with one another. A later adjective would have simply been “groovy.”
But for our analogy, its predecessor fits as we are seeking the right path. But unlike the needle going around the circles on an album, we do not know where our groove will lead.
However maybe all it will take is for us to get up and turn the crank on the Victrola to give us that momentum to find out.
What do you want next in life?
Is there a new job which is your hope?
Do you have your eyes on that perfect person to share your life?
Maybe its smaller, a few repairs, a part-time job, or simply studying a new subject that will give you skills needed for a better life.
I have often found myself seated on the precipice, trying to decide whether to jump into the unknown or remain safely perched on my solid rock watching the world roll by.
It is only when I had the strength to push off from safety that I actually began to see that forward momentum impact what was to come.
Safe is a nice thing. Comfort is a nice thing. We all have aspects of our life in which we desire those adjectives to dominate. Sometimes though we must strive away from the safety and comfort to help us find those new adventures which will forge what is ahead of us.
My multiple great uncle John Shields stepped into the unknown beside Lewis and Clark as they explored the interior of the continental United States for my third cousin Thomas Jefferson. How could he decide to embark on such an arduous adventure. I am not sure but when he was asked, he went.
My first cousin (13-removed) Sir Walter Raleigh embarked on numerous adventures, some which could have easily ended in his death, but yet he went, with his final one resulting in English execution at the behest of Spain.
Jumping bravely into the unknown does not always result in happy endings but it does add variety in the tapestry within which the threads of our life are depicted.
So, is it better to stay in the rut or to rock with all our might to force ourselves out of it, so we can gain forward momentum?
I can’t speak for you, but for me I will rock with all my might until I am able to push on to reach whatever God has in store. I pray those things are blessings and He protects me from all harm which could befall me.
But if that not be my fate, then I only ask the Grace to face the adventure with dignity, patience and understanding in whatever comes my way.
What will be your fate? Are you filling the dirt in around you with each day or does your groove show you a way out?
