A Lead Foot in a Construction Site

How do you know if you're in a rut or a routine?  What's the difference and how can I tell?  Perception.  A routine only becomes a rut when you feel stuck.  When you feel like your routine is leading you somewhere you don't wish to go.  The difference between a rut and a well-worn path depends on whether or not you feel like it's something to be avoided.  Something that will cause you damage. 

I guess that's where I've been lately.  Trying to figure out if I'm in a rut.  A spiritual rut.  Lord knows my routine has been thrown for a loop with the dog and being sick and my back falling apart.  No, no routine here.  So what's with this feeling?    I mean it kind of seems like a no brainer.  Either you're in a rut or you're not.  But just because I might be somewhere I don't want to be doesn't mean I need to try to get out.  It doesn't mean I'm in a rut or stuck at all. 

God promises in Isaiah 42:16, "I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth."  I don't have any answers yet.  But I have this verse.  And things right now are rocky and uncertain and there are moments when I feel face down in a puddle of rut water.  I'm not exactly sure what will cure this unrest I have.  Especially since I've been told to rest.  By scripture, my doctor, my back.  I only know I'm waiting for God to make the rough places smooth.  Maybe I should stop and wait for him to fix the road ahead and stop spinning my wheels and going nowhere.  There are all these verses about running the race and I know them all.  But I'm not sprinting anymore.  I'm in this race for the long haul and maybe it's okay sometimes to stop at a water station and catch my breath for a second. 

But the to-do list must be crossed off!  You must end each day with a list of things you've accomplished!  Keep on keepin on and God helps those who helps themselves!  There is a lot of jibber jabber in my ear about how much I should not rest.  I must never give off the stench of laziness.  Idle hands are the devil's playground.  But there is a whisper of a voice telling me to be still.  I wonder if I can convince my husband that Jesus told me not to do the dishes!  Take a moment, take a breath, and wait.  The path God is preparing still has some potholes in it that he's working on.  I'll get there when I get there.  That's tough to hear for a lead foot like me ;)