Running and Breaking Ruts!

Bless the Lord oh my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name! Although I didn't break my 4 mile rut, I did break a treadmill rut!

Today it was raining. Kind of a steady constant rain all day long. That meant a treadmill day. And usually my habit has been running only a 3 miler on it. I never seemed to question or second quess the 3 mile run on the treadmill. I suppose I just felt content with it. It didn't even seem to bother me that it was a rut. It was acceptable to me even if the 4 mile rut outside wasn't. It's about all I'd make time for, or put up with. Treadmill running is just a lot harder for me. It's more monotonous. It makes me run at a faster pace and then makes me have to keep up with that pace. It also requires more focus because if I don't focus well, I could end up losing my balance and falling. And that would be bad!

I'm not sure when I decided to go for it, but I think somewhere at about the 1 1/2 mile mark, I just said to myself, "I am not stopping til I run 4 miles!" And I didn't. It was that simple. I just decided mentally that that was the deal, period! I will say that I had to humbly lower my pace a bit but I just wasn't going to quit! Or walk! I kept running til we made it to 4! Yeah! :)

Throughout the run my decisive spirit seemed to give me a kind of momentum. It was mind conquering the flesh, the emotions and even the pull to stop because of other things demanding my time and attention. It sure felt good to break a treadmill rut I wasn't even seeing or considering a rut!

Today is Saturday which means I get the privilege to go to church tonight to worship my Lord and Savior King Jesus with the saints. Perhaps tonight I'll decide to break out of my worship rut and do something worshipful in a different way! How often we Christians find ourselves in all sort of spiritual ruts - not even knowing they are mere ruts! May God's Spirit compel me/us out of the ordinary as He falls a fresh on me/us for His glory!