Advice for When You're in a Rut

This article is a very personal one for me. The Holy Spirit placed it upon my heart to write a letter to a young friend of mine named Kristin who is somewhere on the seas defending our country for the U.S. Navy.

She recently joined the Navy and is starting to feel that she made the wrong decision because the job is boring, repetitive, and, because of danger of docking, uninspiring. After writing the letter, I realized that the words that I wrote may be applicable to anyone who is in a spiritual rut.

We are the body of Christ.

In 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 and Romans 12:3-8, Christians are called to be the body of Christ. Sometimes we may feel more like the gum on the sole of Christ’s shoe rather than an arm or a leg, but the reality is that your job, as menial as it seems right now, is truly important in building the kingdom of Christ.

Offer it up.

Catholics have a way of praying through suffering that we refer to as “offering it up”. This basically means that we are willing to endure certain sufferings with a good attitude (or at least without complaint) in order to join our small sufferings with the great suffering of Christ on the cross.

Use your time wisely.

While doing something seemingly mindless or repetitive, use this time to pray. You can pray for your family, your co-workers, or anyone who needs prayer, lifting each person in prayer individually. Many of us do not have the time to personally pray for each person on our prayer list but this may be your opportunity to do so.

Remember the big picture.

In the letter to Kristin, I tell her to always remember that she is defending our country and that we are praying for her and depending on her. For anyone who feels that you are only doing insignificant things, you need to look at the big picture and ask yourself why you are doing it- I am willing to bet that the Holy Spirit moved you to be there!

Please pray a special prayer for Kristin as she works through this difficult time. As I mentioned earlier, she is in an undisclosed location and cannot dock which leads me to believe she is in enemy territory.

Alicia Hart

Alicia Hart is the crafty Catholic multicultural mom of three boys. She became Catholic in 2007 after a life of longing for the faith. To see her crafty ideas and reviews written from a Catholic viewpoint, visit her at her blog, Through My “I”s. Her Catholic crafts can also be found on the first Monday of every month at CatholicMom.com. Alicia can be contacted for questions and comments at [email protected]

Advice for When You're in a Rut - New Evangelizers