10 ideas to “Un- Rut” yourself By David Arrol Macfarlane

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?...” Isaiah 43:19

While God is a God of the “new” we are often a people of the “old”, the familiar, predictable, and can end up in a rut of irrelevance without even realizing it. Someone said to me: “David, a rut is just a grave with the ends knocked out!”
When our oldest daughter, Susan, was in junior kindergarden they used to march around with “musical instruments” at the end of every class. While each time the children had a choice of lots of noise makers Susan always went for the same “shaker” (a plastic bottle filled with rice). This made me realize that nearly from birth our human “default” setting is to find a familiar “rut”. But to be relevant and effective we need to “un-rut” ourselves so as to be open to what new things the Lord might have for us.

Here are ten ideas that can help “un-rut” you.

1. Lighten up! Laugh lots. My philosophy of life is: “I take God seriously but not myself”. When I get them reversed I am in trouble.
2. Read widely. Try finding new interests and ideas.
3. Become curious. Ask lots of questions – that is how we expand our understanding.
4. Change your routine. Take a different road home. Order a new item on the menu. Go somewhere you have never been just to see things from a different perspective.
5. Take time to think. Solitude in prayer and the word recharges our batteries and opens us up to what God wants to say to us today.
6. Enlarge your circle. Purposely mix with interesting friends who “stretch” you.
7. Be healthy. Just as exhaustion depletes our openness to new ideas so rest, food and exercise can get us back on the “cutting edge”.
8. Write. Putting our thoughts, hopes and dreams down on paper can help us see the future in fresh new ways.
9. Develop a creative “spot”. In my home office I put up only pictures of people and painitings that inspire me and I took down all the others.
10. Keep passionate. Just as a great fire if untendered will be reduced to embers so it is in our spiritual life. The good news is that even embers can be brought back to life with some loving care!
To contact David Arrol Macfarlane: 519 503 8380 or arrol.mac@hotmail.com