Circle Breaker

“Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is through Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24)

We had a dog whose thrill in life was flushing birds from the large azalea plant at the driveway's edge. She repeated the daily routine: barking and running circles around the bush, creating a shallow rut that began and ended at the same point. She rid the azalea bush of birds each time, but they soon returned because that was where they nested.

It may seem like you are traveling in a never-ending circle of poor choices and performance. You do your best to change the cycle, but soon, you are back in the rut of the same path. Those old habits you flush out keep coming back to roost. But there is a way out of life’s rut; His name is Jesus. 

Christ died in our place to free us from the penalty of sin. When you ask God to forgive your sins, He will. When you invite Jesus to be Lord of your life, He will—you have a fresh start. But when (not if) you falter along the way, that path doesn’t have to become another encircling life-rut. Call out to your Father when you see an old familiar path forming; trust Him to break the unwanted circle and set your feet back on course for faithful service, and He will.