“So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.”

Being in the groove is a good thing.  When we are in the groove we can feel like we are moving downhill at the speed of an Olympic Bobsled team as they race their way through turns and accelerations.  When we are in the groove, it all seems exciting and if not easy then things can feel conquerable and achievable.  But, why is it that what one day is a groove, the next can feel like a rut?  In a rut everything slows to a stop and any movement forward or out of the rut feels impossible.  No one desires to be caught in a rut and when we are in one, we want out, now! The path or course of a groove and a rut can be the same and many times it is our attitude and approach that make the difference.  I know many people, myself included, who have found themselves grooving along doing something that someone else might consider a rut of activities. And vice versa, there are those that others see doing something amazing, that the person who is doing it can’t see what a great groove they have going on and act out as if they are stuck in their own rut.  So, how do we manage and control the difference?  We must remind everyone of the good they have, the challenges that comes with the work, and the learning and growth that can be achieved by doing anything well!

Paul challenges the church at Corinth to not allow themselves to get into a rut.  He provides context to the work they are doing by providing them an eternal reason to focus on the daily work at hand.  We can all take a lesson from Paul here (I’ll write more about this tomorrow) and acknowledge that the work we are given to do is God’s gift and whether we see it or not, has implications for God’s Kingdom.  If you feel like life has become a rut, then ask yourself, “Why would God put me here to waste mine and His time?”  He wouldn’t.  So, if we are praying and doing our best to be in God’s Will and trusting Him for the next steps forward, then what may feel like our rut, is actually God’s groove for us.  From there, it all becomes a matter of perspective and how we choose to feel and act about what we have been given.

Reference: 1 Corinthians 15:58 (New Living Translation)