Not Again
FMF prompt — “Again”
Do I have to hear this again?
Why is it so important to hear this again and again?
Why do we have to discuss this same topic over and over?
Why do I need to go to church to hear the same old preaching?
What is so important about the Bible that I need to read it every day?
We don’t seem to mind repetition in a song — in fact, music is a large part of many of our lives.
What happens with repetition?
For one thing, it becomes so ingrained in us that we can name that tune. We know the jingle from every commercial.
Once upon a time, they taught multiplication tables by repetition. Many people can still do them very quickly, almost without thinking.
We knew our best friend’s number. Why?
Because of repetition.
When we use things all the time, they have a way of becoming part of who we are.
Sadly, there are many who have grown up in a society that is afraid hardship will break our children. I am not suggesting that we ought to purposefully impose hardship on them.
The philosophy that everyone has to be the same — this no-fail mentality — breeds an attitude of entitlement.
So, the mindset of our children too often becomes:
Don’t make me work for it.
I want to press a button and make it happen.
Don’t make me wait.
I am bored. Moving on.
This is too hard; I can’t do it. Someone else will do it for me.
There is very little stick-to-itiveness anymore.
The great inventors made many mistakes, but through perseverance they not only won but also created something that would impact society for years after they were gone.
That tenacity has been buried like a treasure in a society that has no desire to have it.
When I think of repetition, I also think of the many times in the Bible where people are instructed to tell the tale, rehearse it in their ears, and set up memorials so that the stories stay alive and the lessons continue to impact future generations.
This causes us to have connections with the things that are being repeated. These things not only become part of us, but we also start having our own feelings and thoughts about them.
If we do not hear them often and have them rehearsed in our ears, we lose that connection.
We may lose the enthusiasm for the repeated things. We might just slip them under the mattresses of our lives and kind of move on … until something happens and we need to know. Then, we desperately seek that connection we once had because we are lost and have no anchor to keep us grounded.
That is why we are instructed to know God, and to know His word.
The even more wonderful thing is, if we connect and take the time, we can actually build a relationship with Him that is solid.
He will be our anchor.
I am not saying that a relationship with God will make you impenetrable, but you will have an anchor for your soul. So, when the winds blow you may get tossed about, but you will know that you are safe.
The panic and anxiety will be far less because not only do you know who God is and what His promises are, but those promises will be right at your fingertips, and He will be right with you.
You don’t have to scramble around looking for something to hold on to or dig under your mattress for those old dusty promises you put there long ago.
They are there — available and powerful— to comfort, to do battle, and to guide.
Also, repeat the things you hear and learn into the ears of a friend who is struggling too, because we all need reminders! Reminders are repetitions of things we already know to help us when we need them.
Repetition is a good thing.
Thank you, God, for Your word, and that it repeats the wonderful news that You are for us and Your plans for us are good and not evil. Thank you that, when evil does come our way, we can hold on to You and comfort ourselves with the knowledge that You are with us, and that You love us. You even use these things that have come against us for good. Thank You for Your word that says we need to know You, and know that You are a Rewarder of those who seek You (Hebrews 11:6 ). In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
This story is published in Koinonia — stories by Christians to encourage, entertain, and empower you in your faith, food, fitness, family, and fun.
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