Why Can't I Get Out of This Rut?
Have you ever asked yourself that question?
As I sit here and type this post I can say I have. I've had mountaintop and valley moments in life. And wouldn’t it be great if all of life could be lived on the mountaintop? But the truth is that life is not lived on the mountaintop. Life is primarily lived in the valley.
God will let us stand on the mountain top and live out moments of great success to build our faith and fuel our momentum to go forward. But it is at the height of our success in which we become vulnerable. With victory there comes the temptation to become proud. You should celebrate and even be proud of great feats in your life. But sometimes in doing so we let our guard down and fail to watch for satan’s attack.
Certain events in life can trigger these valley moments more than others. Events of sudden change and tragedy can cause us to lose our focus. And our focus is the critical component that determines what you do even while you are in the valley.
"Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." Psalm 23:4 (NIV)
What are you focusing on?
What are your first thoughts of each day? Take a few seconds to replay your typical morning. Does it begin with prayer and thanksgiving? Or did you just visualize yourself pounding the snooze button and rolling back over to try and grab five more minutes of sleep?
Get up!
It's just as much a physical thing as it is mental. Take a walk outside daily to get your blood flowing. As you walk, take time to breathe in fresh air and admire God's creations all around you. Whenever I go for a walk, I meditate on Matthew 6:26-27:
"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" (NIV)
Getting exercise daily will help you feel better, gain mental focus, have more energy and and help you maintain a healthy weight.
Change your morning routine
When you wake up, turn on the lights immediately. Don't linger in the bed. Start your day off with prayer even if its just uttering praise to God for seeing another day. Your first thoughts in the morning set the trajectory for the course of the rest of your day. Make those thoughts positive ones!
Talk to God about what you are going through
I’m sure you are saying that He already knows. And He does! But the truth is God desires to have a relationship with you and that requires two way communication. He wants to hear from you! Pain and discomfort in our life is a signal that something else is wrong. Its those moments in the valley that God will show us areas in our life in which we need to trust Him more. Ask God to show you changes you need to make to experience more joy.
Live by decision, not emotion
We often fall into ruts because of how we respond to external stressors in life. You must decide to not let everything get under your skin. You must decide to not let a setback discourage you. Emotions will cause you to live by what you see and thats not faith. Blogger and Leadership Expert Michael Hyatt says, "It's not about what happens to you. Its about the meaning you assign to what happens to you". We must decide to live by FAITH and not by what we see. It is at that place we find the strength and peace we need to live through our valley moments!