Are You In a Rut?

By: Gina Welsh

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Romans 12:11 (NLT)

My husband and I have always enjoyed a nice lawn. One that is green and so evenly cut that it almost looks like a carpet. That's our goal, but every now and then we notice ruts. Mowing can become monotonous, and those ruts seem to appear out of nowhere. The truth is, we weren't paying attention to the wear patterns that started developing as we mowed. What once looked nice now looks like well-worn rows that are ready for seed planting!

As I stared at our yard, I started thinking the same thing can happen to Christ followers. If we're not careful and attentive, we can get stuck in a rut spiritually. It's easy to be careless, and before we realize it, we're doing more talking than listening. We're expecting to be served more than we're serving. If we're not careful, we might even be receiving instead of giving. Those type of spiritual ruts can develop quickly, but praise God for His indwelling Holy Spirit! God's abundant grace will get us out of those ruts and help us get refocused and productive!

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16

As Christ followers, we must not only stay attentive, we must also be willing to quickly change (repent) if we notice we've become insensitive to the nudges of God's Spirit. God will use lawn ruts (or anything that seems monotonous) to remind us to stay alert and pay attention to life's wear patterns. He's given us His Spirit, the Bible, and the fellowship of other believers to keep us on guard, firm in our faith, and courageous (1 Corinthians 16:13). Let's make sure we're paying close attention to life's "ruts" and quickly make changes when we notice them. We must stay alert and stay out of those ruts to remain effective in a culture that desperately needs Christ!

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ... Titus 2:11-15