9-28-2022

If you’re familiar with history you know that pioneers made their way westward in covered wagons. There were no roads to travel on (yet), so they had to make their way slowly and cautiously. As more and more pioneers and wagons made the journey, the trails became more worn. Because the wagons were built to a standardized width, eventually, there were ruts where the wagon wheels rolled along the path. Finally, someone put a sign up at a particularly rugged point. The sign read:

“Choose your rut carefully. You’ll be in it for the next 50 miles.”

Perhaps you know exactly what I’m talking about. Whether in a job situation or a relationship or even in a hobby of some kind, many of us have had seasons in our lives where we found ourselves “in a rut”. Though I’m not fond of the word rut, the somewhat snarky words of the sign are actually good advice for life. We might change it a bit though:

“Choose your routine carefully. You’ll be tied to it a while. It determines your future, so make sure you’re ready for it.”

Most of us have some kind of daily routines that we follow. Perhaps we’re following a pattern that we saw in our parents or maybe it was something we saw in the life of someone we admire. Many people refer to the daily routine as a negative thing, as if it’s something you need to break in order to fully live. But what if your daily routine was designed to make your life everything you’ve dreamed it could be? Wouldn’t this be a routine worth living for?

Israel’s King Solomon said this: Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. (Proverbs 16:3, NIV) And his father, Israel’s King David said this: Teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12, ESV)

If I can paraphrase what these two were saying it might sound something like this: “Help us understand that life is short, and what we do every day really matters.”

Our challenge is to organize our days in such a way that we create a routine that includes time for everything important. And who better to help us with that than God himself?

We all have the same amount of time every day. If you’re like most people, you want to make the most of the time you have. So doesn’t it make sense to ask God what his plans are? If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years it’s that God’s plans are always better than mine.

There’s a reason God said, “I know the plans I have for you……”

Do you know the plans God has for you? Take a look at today’s to-do list. It will lead you either somewhere good, or nowhere good. It depends on whether you’ve chosen a rut or a routine.