How to get out of a rut.

Do you ever find yourself stuck in an emotional rut? When this happens to me, I can find it difficult to move forward on a project or particular goal. It can also be hard to find the energy to make particular changes in my life. Part of the reason I become stuck is I get caught up dwelling on what isn’t working or what isn’t happening, or what I can’t do. Sometimes I get stuck because the obstacles in front of my goals seem too large to surmount. Other times I get stuck because I get fixated on the outcome but don’t want to waste time on the smaller, mundane and necessary steps required to get there. The result of these is that I find myself waiting around for some magical breakthrough that can instantly solve my problems or make me productive. If I stay in this state, I can end up feeling enervated, unmotivated, frustrated and wanting to mope around feeling sorry for myself. It’s a terrible way to be.Interestingly, I sometimes see a similar type of being stuck in nations, organisations, families and churches. There have been times where I have sat in church meetings, and the discussion has ended up cycling around and around as we became fixated on obstacles and disagreements. Rather than making any progress, the meetings often descend into a negativity and frustration for all.Over the years, I have discovered that there is a way out of this state of being stuck. Although, sometimes, I don’t want to take this option because wallowing in a victim mentality feels justified and somewhat easier than taking action. That said, eventually, I will come around and choose the option that moves me from a victim mindset to taking responsibility for being stuck. When I do this, I find I can move forward with a more empowered mindset. So, what is it that I find helpful? It is to shift my focus from what isn’t working and what I can’t do to focusing on what I can do. Even if I can only do something small or seemly insignificant, it can still majorly impact my mental wellbeing and break the gridlock in my mind. The way I usually make this shift is by simply asking myself, “What can I do?” Or, “What’s one small item I can do for this task?” Or, “What’s the next right step I need to take?”When I think of this idea of focusing on what we can do from a Biblical perspective, I find that it aligns very much with God’s expectations of us. God really isn’t that concerned with what we can’t do. That’s His job. However, He is very concerned with what we can do and whether or not we will do it. He doesn’t even mind if all you can do is something small. (Matthew 10:42). He has proved Himself over and over again that He can do a lot with a little (John 6:1-15). For instance, while Noah could not stop a flood from coming, what He could do was obey God and build an ark (Exodus 3). Even though Moses felt fearful and inadequate to speak to Pharaoh on behalf of God, what he could do was move His feet in the direction of Egypt and trust God to take care of the rest. Even though the children of Israel may not have been able to cross the Jordan river into the promised land because the river banks had burst with floodwater, what they could do is allow the Priests to obey God and step into the water. As soon as they did, God created dry ground for them to cross on (Joshua 3:1-17). While Gideon saw himself and his family as insignificant and unable to rescue Israel from the might of the Midianites, he could still listen to God and surround the Midianite camp with three hundred men and make a big noise (Judges 7). Despite David being unable to use Saul’s armour to fight Goliath, he could still use a sling and a stone. (1 Samuel 17). While the disciples of Christ could not find enough food to feed more than five thousand people, what was available was five loaves and two fish. With these, Jesus showed His power to provide abundantly (John 6:1-15). While Paul couldn’t travel into Asia or Bithynia, he could keep moving towards Troas until God revealed where he needed to go (Acts 16:6-10). Speaking of Paul, while there may have been times when he could not travel around preaching the gospel because of imprisonment, he could still pray, write letters and make it clear to his captors his faith in Christ. (Philippians 1:12-14).Even the parable that Jesus tells in Matthew 25:14-30 about the owner giving his servants various amounts of funds to manage is mostly about seeing the opportunities that God gives us to serve Him. With these opportunities, He would much rather us do something than nothing. The servant that was fearful and focused on what little resources were given to him failed to make any progress, and God reprimanded him for it. Had the servant done what he could with what he had, God would have praised Him for it and given Him even more funds to manage.Now, when I find myself feeling stuck, I try to remind myself that God can do a lot with a little. I then ask myself, what can I do in this situation? Once I identify the things available for me to take on, I find an amazing thing happens. I stop feelings so overwhelmed by my problems or tasks. I begin to feel a sense of progress and momentum. Which in turn, energises me and provides me with the resilience to persist and see tasks through to completion. Sometimes as I focus on the things I can do; I even experience significant breakthroughs in what I am trying to achieve.So, thinking of this principle of focusing on what you can do, what is one small thing you can do to demonstrate love for your spouse today? What can you do to take care of your health? What can you do to fix a broken relationship? What can you do to demonstrate kindness towards a stranger? What can you do to make progress on a school or work project? What can you do to get help for your addictions? Who can you talk with to find support and help in your distress? What options are available to you right now? What time can you give to reading God’s word and prayer today? What can you do to reach out to someone with the message of Christ? And what can you do to bring glory to God today?By shifting your mindset to focus on what you do have and what you can do, you will find you are better able to take responsibility for your life and move beyond whatever is keeping you suck in a negative state of mind.