I heard a message the other day that resonated.

All of us get in ruts. Ruts are those things that basically direct us and have walls and sharp edges. In a sense, they act as controlling influences in our lives, oftentimes with less than desirable results. I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone say, “Boy, am I in a rut and it’s awesome!”

One of the main reasons we get in ruts is that a thing that at one time might have seemed good, like a new job or a new relationship, has lost its allure and no longer pulls us forward in a compelling way. The bloom is off the rose. Everyone who has felt this, raise your hand. 🙂

Some ruts are pretty benign. “I can’t seem to improve my golf game.” Others can indicate serious problems, such as “I can’t stop drinking.”

Essentially, these ruts are of the spirit. We are in ruts because the things we had previously thought would provide us meaning no longer do so. They indicate a crisis of meaning, which is a spiritual thing, regardless of any links to religion.

The things that seemed to glitter, perhaps bringing us a degree of happiness or a sense of fulfillment, no longer seem to do so.

Which is one way of describing addiction.

Another way of talking about this is to speak in terms of idols. Idols are things that we worship because we want something from them. A grand quid pro quo. I know that the word “worship” immediately calls to mind God or gods or religion. But it doesn’t necessarily mean so. Worship is actually a form of surrender to things to which we concede control over our lives. All sorts of things can become objects of worship … idols, if you will. Children, spouses, jobs, financial security, fashion, movie or sports stars, political affiliations, and so on. Unfortunately, when we set these things up as greater than they really are, we create idols, hoping they fill a hole in our lives … providing a sense of meaning. And, they will always disappoint. Always.

One of the byproducts of that disappointment is boredom. We’ve relied on some things to give us meaning but they fall short. Or, they provide a serious diversion from other things in our lives that should carry more importance. Since they underperform our expectations … like a lackluster (or worse) return on investment … we either up the level of attention and commitment, which can lead to addictive behavior, or we do the opposite: Descend into boredom, cynicism and/or complacency. We all know the results. Disenchantment, burn-out, and withdrawal are all possible outcomes.

Which brings us back to the nature of meaning, which is not a physical thing but a spiritual thing. I’ve used the metaphor of the compass before. I read recently that the earth’s magnetic field is really changing at an unprecedented rate. The magnetic north is moving rapidly to the west and will end up at some point in Siberia, quite aways from the North Pole. This is causing no small problem for navigation as GPS systems are being adjusted in order to adapt and make sure we don’t go off course.

I bring this up because magnetic north (constantly shifting) is quite different from true north. The North Pole is the north pole. A compass that actually pointed to that very specific spot would be pointing at true north. Immovable. Constant. Reliable. It can be counted on to always be there.

Do we get meaning from things that shift as I’ve been describing? Or, do we get meaning from a thing or things that don’t shift? Idols shift. I’ve mentioned possible outcomes.

What to do?

Well, first is to rethink the whole thing. Change the paradigm. Metanoia in the Greek. Repent. Admit the way things are. Open up to someone. Try on transparency to see if it fits. Seek support from others who have had similar experiences and can testify to how they’ve changed for the better.

A life of abundance is possible and I’m not talking at all about material abundance. In fact, the dogged pursuit of material abundance is one of those false norths and counterproductive to spiritual abundance which is another way of saying a permanent state of fulfillment.

Complacency, which is a byproduct of boredom (if boredom hasn’t deteriorated into cynicism) is, to me, a truly sad state. The complacent person is one whose vision is sketchy at best. At worse, it is non-existent in any real sense. And, without vision of where things could be, that remarkable force we call hope, is like a mirage. The complacent person has a kind of hollow feeling about things. It is what it is. “What else can I expect?”

One does not find abundance while living in a rut. To me, the abundant life is one where we can meet suffering head on, feel and express grief, find deep and transcendent joy in, perhaps, very small things, experience what it means to be pulled forward by great hope, and where we wake up each day to new possibilities and opportunities. It means being willing to change and, especially, to surrender the worship of transient idols. 

What if joy and hope held a stronger position in our lives? What if we possessed greater resiliency when things just don’t seem to be going where we’d like or take a serious turn for the worse? Where joy and hope reign, boredom and complacency are sidelined and lose their power over us. The pursuit of happiness also loses its allure as happiness isn’t faithful.

Spiritual complacency is not all that far removed from a withering spirit. I believe that “religious” people are no different from “non-religious” people. Perhaps even worse. They’ve bought into a paradigm that is either inauthentic or hasn’t produced the desired results.

When the Samaritan woman at the well offers Jesus a drink, he demurs, telling her that he is there to offer her “living” water instead. This living water is the nourishment that is permanent and offers abundance in ways the world doesn’t perceive. It is the antidote to boredom and complacency. All we need to do is get off our butts, be willing to rethink some things, shift our focus towards the undeviating true north and get ready for the ride of a lifetime.