Photo borrowed from schoolontheroad.wordpress
On our family vacation last year, we visited a site where we could view a portion of the Oregon trail. When it was used, the trail was over 2000 miles long, traveled by approximately 400,000 settlers who traveled west over the course of two decades to settle along the Pacific coast.
Portions of the Oregon trail can still be seen over a century later. The ruts were so packed that in places they cut feet into the rock, and still in some places no vegetation grows in the ruts where the trail travels across prairies.
I was reminded of the experience of seeing the ruts of the Oregon trail during a discussion at a Bible study one day. One of the ladies made the comment that sin is like ruts in a road. Sin, shame and bad habits wear ruts on our minds and our hearts like those wagon wheels wore ruts on the land. Those ruts can leave marks on our minds and our hearts for sometimes a very long time. Like wheels that get stuck in the ruts in a road we can get stuck in those lies and patterns of thinking.
When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, at that moment, God removes the curse of sin from our lives. We are free in an instant! While we are free from sin, the process of becoming like Christ is a journey that we're on the rest of our days on Earth, and the ruts of our sin can continue to wear on us.
In my own journey I've learned that acceptance and understanding of my eternal home in Heaven was easy. The lessons I've learned along my journey to becoming more like Christ have been a little more difficult. Some lessons have been gradual, gentle, and I've learned them in increments. Some lessons have been an epiphany. Then there were those other dreaded lessons that bowled me over. Unfortunately, I've had to learn a few of those more than once.
With each lesson learned and each step along the path of spiritual growth, my ruts have shrunk or disappeared. If sin creeps back in or if I allow the enemy to remind me of regret and shame the ruts start to wear again. However, when I take every thought captive. When I remember that God has given me the mind of Christ and power over sin I don't have to let the ruts of sin, shame and bad habits direct my path. I can walk in freedom and victory in Christ.
