I’ve walked through this so much that now it’s become a rut…… and now I’m stuck.  How did this happen?

Well, in this particular instance I’m walking the edge of a pond to get to where the fish are.  That’s a good thing.  Striving to do good (catch fish) has caused me to make this same move time after time.  What was once wet but solid ground, now has turned soft.  After a few more trips it’s turned into a rut………. and now I’m stuck.  Worse than that, my foot didn’t move when my brain said move, causing me to FALL into the mud. Landing on both elbows with a thud, mud splashes onto my shirt, face, and glasses.  I even bit my tongue. Definitely not a good time for a selfie. 🙁

I thought I was prepared.  Hey, I even had on hip boots because I knew about the mud.  But, big ole heavy hip boots aren’t the best thing to have on when you are fixin’ to faceplant in the mud your trying to stay out of.  I couldn’t help but laugh at myself.  Stupid me for not seeing that my walking was causing this stupid mud to grow and get worse.  I’m creating a rut myself that will cause me to get stuck in “MY” own rut.  Even though I’m striving to do good(catch fish) I’m blind to what I’m doing to myself.

Did you notice how many times I said me, myself and I?  Let’s face it, we can be our own worst enemy.  Even when we are trying to do good, we get into a rut.  We just can’t see it happening.  We have become blind.

Read this. Grab your Bible or Smartphone with verses.   It’s the story of you and your friends.  Look up  Mark 10: 46 – 52

You see, this blind man was in a rut.  He was…… well, he was blind.  But he knew it.  He also knew Jesus was walking by.  He started hollering and yelling.  And his friends, well, they were blind too, but in a different way.  They told him to “be quiet”.  They were blind to what can happen when someone calls out to Jesus.

But this didn’t stop the blind man.  When you have been in a rut, and have fallen you tend to cry out.  I know I did.  As I was falling all kinds of thoughts were going through my head……. will this hurt?  how stupid can I be? I don’t guess there’s a snake in this water? Did anybody see me?

Those thoughts were going through my head, but “AAAAAAAggghhhhhhhhhoooooooooooo” came out of my mouth.  I now know I should have kept my mouth shut as I face planted into the mud.  At least I didn’t break my fishing pole.

But the blind man cried out for Jesus.

Mark 10: 51-52 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.  The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”  “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.”   Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

The blind man got out of his rut by asking Jesus for help.  You can get out of your rut the same way.  We become blind, even when trying to do good.

Let me give an example of a rut.  How many times do you sing or hear the song, “Amazing Grace”?  Over and over, time after time, right? Maybe next time when you hear that verse, “was blind, but now I see” you’ll realize it’s not always the physically blind that can’t see, it’s also all of us striving to do good.

What to do?  Cry out to Jesus!  What to say?  “Lord help me” works pretty good.  If all you can get out is “AAAAAAAggghhhhhhhhhoooooooooooo”,  He’ll get the message.  Have the faith my friend.

ps check out this blog from The Noble Heart by Gary Barkelow on how to get unstuck.  It’s a good read.

click here    http://thenobleheart.com/2014/04/9-ideas-that-will-get-you-unstuck/

See ya!  Dan Ainsworth  wilderness preacher (who falls in the mud)