Old Ruts Won't Take You to New Places

As I walked down the wooded path near the river, I noticed a pair of parallel ruts that seemed to go on forever. The wheel channels were dangerously deep from years of use. As I thought about those ruts, I imagined  a horse-drawn buggy with a tired horse pulling it and walking between the ruts.

There was no resistance because the paths were well-worn. The driver did not have to steer. The ruts were so deep the wheels were literally locked in their channels.

Every once in a while the ruts were shallower, allowing the buggy to break free if necessary. But when that happened, the buggy tipped and jarred and tossed its load around. The driver had to hang on for dear life and the horse had to pull harder. Once free of the ruts, the driver could take the carriage wherever he wanted to go.

There are several observations that accompany this thought.

• Roads are nice, but without maintenance usually   become ruts;
• Ruts come in pairs—breaking free requires a second effort;
• Being in a rut takes you to the same place every time and requires little of the driver;
• Ruts develop from years of repetition;

Gaining a new sense of direction and purpose requires a second effort to break free of the second rut. 

The second rut is the hardest rut from which to break free. Why? Because all four wheels follow the curvature of the ruts. One set of wheels is still between the ruts and the other set is free of the ruts. The objective is to break free of the ruts altogether. 

However, another “tipping” awaits the second effort. This is precisely where most drivers either go back into the path provided by the ruts or they give the second effort—usually the hardest part—to break completely free of the rutted path. The second rut tips the wagon the most and presents the greatest danger to the driver, the wagon and the horse.

The idea of being in a rut is not really given much thought because those who have been driving the wagon usually feel they have earned the right to put the wagon on auto-pilot right there in the ruts.

Just remember, ruts dictate direction and negate creativity. They become “long graves” with a predictable death to those locked in their grip. Breaking free requires courage, vision and determination to cut a new path to God.

If you are locked in a rut and your joy in life seems non-existent, determine to break free from the old rut and carve a new path to a preferred future. 

Old ruts won't take you to new places.

“Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”   Isaiah 43:19

Jim Beaird