2007 is fast coming to a close. The sound of fireworks going off will be part of the landscape tonight. Even now there are echoes all around the community of rockets and firecrackers exploding. It all happens so fast. On one day we begin a new year then almost turn around and it's over. Far too often we just meander along each day without considering where they days take us. Something dawned on me recently. Many times I find myself encouraging people to break out of the rut. The biblical story of faith details the men and women who leave the familiar and set off to explore strange, new worlds. Yet, there is something about the rut that is comfortable. We relish the routineness of life. Maybe there is nothing wrong with that.

We enjoy the sameness of family and friends. We look forward to our comfortable furniture to recuperate in after a long day. We even find ourselves returning to the familiar passages of Scripture to draw new strength for life. We are truly creatures of habit. What if its that being in a rut isn't totally wrong, as long as it is the right rut?

Too many jolts on our psyche can be damaging. Behavioral scientists constantly study the effects of grief, illness, bad news on the human spirit. Their findings indicate that too many blows to the mind or heart will damage even the strongest person. One can even find a numerical scale of measuring the impact of such events. If your figures go too high, then you are in dangerous ground for real emotional upheaval.

So, we caress our ruts. We cherish our routine. It is a safe haven from all the bad stuff out there in our mean world. But, the question remains whether or not it is the right rut? What if in 2008 you were to include God as a regular participant to your life? It might be that you wouldn't find you immediately give up the comforts of home. You might find that He give you the direction to move with Him as He guides your life.

2007 contained far too many of those negative moments for me both personally and professionally. There were too many trips to a cemetary to offer comfort to a grieving family. Some friends that meant much to me took another direction in life. Too many angry words were spoken when a peaceful word and a patient spirit could make all the difference. The easy rut was too often a temptation. My hope is with the change of a calendar that all of us can leave the wrong rut and find the right routine. As Moses says in Psalm 90, "let me number my days to present God a heart of wisdom." Happy New Year this evening. May you find it to be the very best year of your life.

Bro. Trey