Groundhog Day

Ecclesiastes 1:14 NASB1995

“I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind.”

Legend has it that at the half way point between winter and spring, February 2^nd, a groundhog comes out of his burrow and if he sees his shadow there are six more weeks of winter.  This has been ongoing in Pennsylvania since 1887.  A 1993 movie with Bill Murray portraying weatherman Phil Connors stuck in an endless cycle of days has resulted in “Groundhog Day” becoming a term used to describe tedious repetition, being stuck in rut where days blur into one another in a continuous loop. 

For 48 years not knowing Jesus I experienced this rut.  I felt the grind. Endless days striving for the next promotion.  Rent bill, car note, insurance, child care, diapers, water bill.  Every promotion and salary increase was spent before the first paycheck hit.  Child care bills turned into horse lessons.  Diapers into lunch money.  

When I hit rock bottom I found Jesus and came out of the baptism waters expecting a care free life.  Jesus was the answer!  That was not the case, without a mentor or discipleship, the grind actually felt more intense.  The Holy Spirit was working on improving my conduct, character and conversation, causing me to replay “you are a failure” tapes over and over, resulting in my striving harder and harder to use brute force and ignorance to change.  But the bills kept on coming, another divorce, more alimony, more child support, two more children in college.  When I read Ecclesiastes Soloman started to make sense.  You can have too many wives and even all the riches known to man will not make you happy, it is all vanity and chasing the wind.  (Ecclesiastes 1:14).

God then blessed me with a Proverbs 31 wife, one who has helped me study the Bible, not just read it.  Who has demonstrated the value of audible, frequent prayer, together, for the Fruits of the Spirit.  The results are daily illumination of His direction through scripture in context.

Hard yards, having a tough day?  The old me would beat my head against the wall chanting Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Striving to achieve through a prayer using God’s Word.  It had to come true, right? Every prayer answered?

Not seeing results, I studied more, not just reading a passage to ‘name it and claim it’.  I started  looking for context and asking what was the Holy Spirit trying to teach me through these words?  In the Philippians 4:13 example, when you read 4:12 with it you see:

“I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need”.

4:13 “can do all” was not about achievement, but about endurance.  The ability to see past the present, good or bad.  When this was written, Paul was attached by an 18 inch chain to an educated and elite warrior, a Pretorian Guard, who was changed every six hours for 2 years.  Talk about Ground Hog Day, that was over 2,900 opportunities share The Good News that Paul used to bring may to Christ (Philippians 1:13)

Flipping back to Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, Soloman talks about a time for everything.  He is teaching us to accept life’s contrasts rather than constant striving.  God created the seasons to emphasize that even in the darkest winter, spring is coming. 

Too often this side of heaven we see a limited horizon.  We spend our time with no return as we toil to fill our lives with the next “thing” or experience.  I offer an idea to transition to an eternal horizon.  Our perfect God has heaven, where there is no time, only loving God and loving one another.  

Our Daily Battle Order:  Bring the peace of Heaven to earth.  Our daily tasks are not toil;  every human interaction is orchestrated by God for the greater good.  Be His warrior, fight the battle against darkness, bring love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness and self control into the day of someone with a smile, a thank you, a complement, a hug.  Keep the high ground.  Three workers in a quarry, one says he is being worked to death, another says hard work but at least a job, and the last, well he looks up, points to the cathedral, and says “I am working for Him to make a place we can worship our Lord and Savior!”