“Thy mercies are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness.”

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We fight repetition. And in fighting it we redouble our efforts to increase variety. Those in the marketing business – and in politics -figured this out long ago. So, they continually assist us in fleeing repetition by offering us the next big thing, variety, change.

This formula keeps working because most of what we consume in this constant diet of change does not satisfy. In fact, it leads to increased restlessness and boredom. What this ought to be revealing to us is that we do not fight boredom with constant change.

I have written previously on this blog about how this insatiable desire to flee boredom has infected the worship of many churches. The objection “It’s boring”, is the common complaint we hear. Actually, the issue is not that worship is boring. The issue which ought to be confronted in those of you who voice this complaint is why should the church become an accomplice in your restless efforts to relieve yourself of boredom?

All life is repetition. Daily life is made up of all kinds of repetitive patterns, habits and rituals. We address boredom not by mindlessly chasing the new but by investing repetition with great meaning. If you cannot see the depth of meaning and value in the little repetitions, the little liturgies of daily life, don’t expect meaning to result from your efforts to run from them.

My grandmother Anderson started each day by spending some time with her Bible. This was something she praticed all of her life. After her time with the Scriptures she went on with her day. The activities she had planned rarely changed; shopping on one day, laundry on another and so forth. I lived with her for a time after my grandfather died. She never struck me as someone who was bored with the ordered life she lived. In the simple, repetitive tasks of daily living she saw greater meaning.

The results of tuning your life to fads and distractions is predicatble: restlessness, boredom, pessimism. A life tuned to the Word of God greets each day with gratitude, anticipating that new word from Him whose mercy makes all things new.

“May the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

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