Stuck in a rut

This week there has been some major road construction going on in front of my house. The other morning I was summoned to the front door by a loud grinding noise. Stepping to the window, I looked out to see a large machine digging up my yard and the end of my driveway and creating a pile of stone and dirt. The result was a large rut at the end of my driveway making it impossible to drive in or out.

How often do we find ourselves trapped in a rut that either we or someone else has dug? I don't mean a physical rut in the front yard, but rather an emotional, relational, or mental rut.

I have discovered in my life that there are many sources of ruts. Fear. Worry. Poor decisions. Past experiences. Toxic environments. Laziness. Bad habits. The list could go on and on.

What happens when we find ourselves stuck in a rut? How do we get out? There is no simple, formulaic answer. Often we look for the right "5 step" method, some pill we can take, or a convenient shortcut. The reality is that often the only way out of a rut is hard work, diligence, and community. Our best effort over a long period of time supported by a community of friends will usually offer the most fruitful path to growth.

Hard work brings us strength. Diligence develops perseverance. Community allows us to develop relationships and trust. Those things not only get us out of this rut, but build us up for future obstacles we must face.

Later in the day, a large front loader dropped some dirt and stone in the rut and I was able to get in and out of my driveway once again. Usually in life, there isn't a front-loader that just comes along and does things for us. And if there is, whether it be a person, an organization, or some numbing agent, it usually won't bring true success and growth that lasts. Rather, it hampers and handicaps us for the next challenge we will face.

We will all find ourselves stuck in ruts throughout our lives. Often the trajectory of our life is determined more by our reaction to them than the ruts themselves.