When we say yes to Jesus, all kinds of beautiful things can occur.
As we plow into January, many of us are taking time to do a little self-reflection and try to address any ruts we may find ourselves. I’m a gal who loves a routine. I love my comfort zones. I mean, the name alone, has the word comfort in it. But, sometimes our comfort zone can become a rut.
A rut is something we may find ourselves in because we have done it for so long, we don’t necessarily know how to get out. Sometimes we don’t even want to get out.
There are times when we do things like eat the same exact meals week after week, that we don’t even realize that we have lost our passion for cooking or for tasting some of the really great foods God has blessed us with.
There are times when we have become comfortable sitting in front of the television night after night, kind of checking out, when we could be reading a good book, or meeting friends for dinner, or actually having a conversation with our families. We could even do something crazy like play a card game or a board game.
My mama actually inspired me right before Christmas. She took a trip to the Canadian Rockies. Now keep in mind, that this woman has always loathed the cold. When we had the rare snow day when I was growing up, she watched from a window inside the house. She’s always been more of a beach gal.
But, a friend of hers convinced her to go. She bought all of the necessary gear and she second-guessed herself all of the way. The trip was too close to Christmas and she had so much to do. What was she thinking?
But, ultimately, she went and she had a blast. She told me without a doubt, it was the prettiest place she had ever been in her entire life. Sure, it was cold, but it was well worth it. She was so thankful that she said yes, to a new adventure.
There are all types of comfort zones, ruts and adventures. Some adventure may take us some place far away and exotic and some may keep us closer to home. There are also spiritual adventures.
Spiritual adventures occur when we decide to open our hearts up to God’s calling for us. Is He calling you to read the Bible more regularly? Is He calling you to get involved in Christian community? Is He calling you to reach out to others in some way? Is He calling you to pick something up? Is He calling you to lay something down? He could be calling you to heal.
All of those spiritual endeavors can be a little scary. It would certainly be easier to stay right where we are. But, following Jesus was never meant to be the easy route. However, following Jesus was never meant to be boring either.
My mama’s trip reminded me that it’s good to take stock from time-to-time on where we are and where we would like to be. It reminded me to search for the beautiful at every opportunity and to not be afraid of adventure. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂