Saturday, 04 February 2012
-
Groundhog Day Faith
They woke up Punxsutawney Phil Tuesday morning long enough for the prognosticating rodent to let us know whether six more weeks of winter must be endured. According to Phil you should plan on bundling up for next month and a half.
Phil looks about as happy as I do when when I am disturbed in the morning. Seventeen years ago a funny and underappreciated movie came on the scene. Groundhog Day told the story of a self-absorbed news reporter (redundancy alert?) that finds himself stuck in an endless repeat of the same day. Bill Murray is perfect in the role of reporter Phil Connors. Since I live in the odd world of broadcast television I can relate to the cynical personality of Murray’s character. Reporter Phil is less than thrilled that he has been assigned to cover Punxsutawney Phil’s annual peek outside to predict winter’s duration. He feels he is “above” such an inane assignment. Connor’s looks into the camera and cynically reports:
“This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather.”
My day and/or night job is television sports directing. I have directed some events that offer that kind of challenge. But what got me thinking about that movie again was the plotline where Phil Connors realizes he is doomed to live the same day over and over and over. The plot is summed up in this article in Wikipedia. For Connors, Groundhog Day begins each morning at 6:00 A.M., with his waking up to the same song, Sonny & Cher’s “I Got You Babe”, on his alarm clock radio, but with his (and only his) memories of the “previous” day intact, trapped in a seemingly endless “time loop” to repeat the same day in the same small town.
Connor has this exchange in the film.
Phil: What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?
Ralph: That about sums it up for me.And that brought to mind another famous Bill Murray quote…this time from Stripes.
And then depression set in.
So what is the point of these ramblings? Is it to impress you with my cerebral movie tastes? The point is that too many followers of Jesus are stuck in a Groundhog Day life of their own. They wake up every day and feel trapped in a repeating pattern of frustrating behavior. And then, depression sets in. Why is that?
Einstein was once quoted as saying that “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” I am not quite willing to concede that I was insane. But the truth is that for years I did approach my spiritual life the same way everyday while somehow expecting different results.
I would make a mistake (that is politically correct for sin) and I would convince myself that I would never do that again. I was grateful that the consequences were not worse. I was determined to stay far, far away from that sin. And then before I know it I had forgotten the lesson and I would awaken each morning to my own version of Groundhog Day. The Apostle Paul wrote about this very thing (not the giant rodent part…the repeating behavior part) in his letter to the Romans.
I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. (Romans 7, The Message)
Wow…can I relate to that. A bit later Paul writes…I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question?
That is the real question. And there is a real answer offered by Paul.
The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.
So what can you do to get out of this sin spiral?
Nothing.
Wait! Don’t let depression set in. This is good news! You and I can’t do it. I am incapable in my own efficacy (5 Reader’s Digest points) to escape my spiritual Groundhog Day. Only Jesus can enable me to escape this endless loop of frustration. Further advice from Paul follows in Chapter 8 of his amazing letter to the Romans.
But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him.
Allow the truth of that verse to soak in.
Want to get out of your Groundhog Day existence? Most readers of these humble ramblings realize they couldn’t deal with their sin separation from God on their own. We needed Jesus. So why do we think we can deal with our ongoing sin issues on our own? When the Father looks at me on my very worst day this is what He sees.
Jesus.
That is step one. I don’t have to clean up the sin to please God. He loves me already because of Jesus. Step Two. I am learning daily to recognize that the Spirit of God has taken up residence in my life. I am learning that I am the one who limits His power by restricting access and not trusting Him with my thoughts and actions. I am learning that I don’t need to wake up to the frustrating effects of repeated self-effort. I can wake up trusting God, trusting that Jesus has my sin covered and trusting that the Spirit of God will allow me to resolve that sin. Trusting God and what His Word says to be true allows me to escape the Groundhog Day syndrome. Instead I have a new day full of possibilities to thank God for His amazing grace.
The moral of the movie Groundhog Day was that Phil Connor needed to learn that he was self-absorbed and dependent on his selfish efforts to get ahead. The moral of the spiritual groundhog day is to learn that we cannot depend on our self efforts to live a joyful and free Christian life. I come to Jesus by grace and total dependence. I live for Jesus by grace and total dependence. While the other groundhog is busy predicting weather I would suggest you try this for the next six weeks. When the alarm jars you awake remember this truth. Instead of the Sonny and Cher song you can sing “I Got You Lord”. The two of you can end this “Groundhog Day” of frustration. To paraphrase our hero Phil from above….
This is one time where a blog really fails to capture the true excitement of a large doofus trying to explain his joy and freedom of learning how to live in grace. So try it for yourself. If you begin to lean on grace perhaps you can also paraphrase the line from Stripes with this one.
And then joy and freedom set in. That is my prayer for you today. I can’t help you with the weather.
RecommendRelated Posts
Post a Comment
- Back to revelife's Revelife Site!
- Note: your comment will appear in revelife's local time zone: GMT -05:00 (Eastern Standard - US, Canada)
About the Author
-
- From: daveburchett
- Name: Dave
- About Me: Dave Burchett is an Emmy Award-winning television sports director for Fox Sports, ESPN, and Jefferson Pilot Sports. Dave has directed Southeastern Conference basketball games for over twenty years. He has also directed Texas Ranger’s major league baseball telecasts for over twenty years and had the thrill of televising one of Nolan Ryan's no-hit games and Ryan’s 300th win. He and his wife, Joni, are former staff members of Campus Crusade's Athletes in Action. They currently reside in Garland, Texas where Joni is a Special Education Coordinator specializing in elementary students. Dave and Joni are the parents of three sons.
Stats: This Week All Time Posts: 0 127 Views: 0 77963 Comments: 0 466 View all posts by daveburchett
Comments (6)
i love this movie. i hope you find your way but i must disagree with your statement (and i suppose reader's digest too), "You and I can’t do it. I am incapable in my own efficacy (5 Reader’s Digest points) to escape my spiritual Groundhog Day. Only Jesus can enable me to escape this endless loop of frustration." in the movie Phil finally does figure it out without divine intervention but that is neither here nor there as it is after all only a movie. True Buddhism explains the workings of cause and effect clearly from the broadest to the most finite of details and more importantly explains how to break the cycle so clearly described in Romans 7. it is necessary to be able to do this oneself. i often hear the far right, many of them evangelist Christians, express their anger toward people who accept government help for their physical sustenance. i cannot but help see the irony in this, coming from people who believe they need help for their spiritual (and also sometimes physical) sustenance. i don't mean to imply you are one of the right wing people. it is debilitating to begin each day with the belief "You and I can't do it" and to hope someone else will do it for us. we all help each other from time to time. in school we rely on the basketball coach to help us learn how to play the game but only because he knows how already, not so we can sit on the bench and let him play for us. eventually we exceed the coach if we continue.
@TheSutraDude@xanga - This is a really awesome discussion, wish the three of us were in a room with snacks and drinks.
I get Dave's logic, his scriptural reference, and his excitement...and I think I understand your perspective that we have a part to play in our own lives, particularly if we hope it to go well. Both perspectives seem 'true.'
For me the reality of trusting God to be my 'personal savior' (I know that word has lots of baggage, but ask for your grace to read on) depends on the reality that there is in fact a living God who shows up in my actual life in very real and practical ways. If a God offers anything less than that then what you describe sounds like the next best thing for living a hope-filled life.
So the cliched use by evangelicals of 'personal savior' as a Jesus who saves me from death and offers 'eternal life.' Who can verify the truth of that...I'm not aware of meeting anyone in the flesh that has confirmed that for me. So that's a totally uninteresting offer with very little personal value to me...although could be really cool someday if true.
But if there were a God that saves me in this life in a tangible way...one that can save me from my own destructive behavior, which is motivated by my own fears...if that were true that'd be worth getting excited about.
So Dave...what does this actually look like for you? "The moral of the spiritual groundhog day is to learn that we cannot depend on our self efforts to live a joyful and free Christian life. I live for Jesus by grace and total dependence....I would suggest you try this for the next six weeks. When the alarm jars you awake remember this truth."
I can share my story, but I'm still living it out. For me it looks like risk filled adventure, leaning on God for His grace and mercy to save me financially, emotionally, and spiritually. My safety (salvation here on earth) can come in lots of different ways, but I'm available for it to show up by His grace only...not my own plans or efforts, but merely holding onto my dreams and desires and making myself willing to die (to those dreams and hopes, and my own perception of myself). I seek His perfect love (tangibly expressed somehow) to cast out my fears...and that is where I hope to find freedom. This is how I interpret the Gospel...and how I interpret what I've read of the lives of Christian mystics and martyrs.
Dave, what is your story...and how do you tangibly experience the love of your Savior? Can you provide more guidance on what your asking us to do for the next 6 weeks...I'm assuming its not singing 'I've got you, Lord' Thanks, brother...this is really good...and gets to the heart of the value of intimate relationship with a living dynamic God!!
@god_stories@xanga - it would be a great conversation. there are many interpretations of religious scripture which is part of the reason Buddhism gives for documentary or scriptural proof of the validity of a belief being the weakest of the three, documentary proof, theoretical proof, actual proof. actual proof is the most important. the proof is in the pudding as they say. that being said documentary proof can be of use. Buddhism explains there is no answer outside of oneself. Luke 17:21 says, "Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." i think this is pretty clear.
as you point out, the term God does carry with it much baggage. there are a multitude of definitions of God. often the definition of God is one that suits ones' personality, personal interests or even politic. but more importantly and often terribly there are many actions taken in the name of God. in fields from football to killing there are people on all sides who make claims that God is on their side. by virtue of the belief that Gods' ways are mysterious and unknown one cannot proclaim in all confidence to be acting on God's behalf. sometimes a belief in a god outside oneself can make a person behave more humanely, sometimes less humanely. there are many examples of both throughout the history of man.
@TheSutraDude@xanga - I like that approach to weight relative value of different kinds of proof. My experience (and Biblical narration...including recorded word of Jesus) seem to suggest that there is a divinity within me...and without (with power to affect the physical world, eg healing, raising from dead, changing water to wine, creation of food, etc.
...and I totally agree that who I know a transcendent divine to be is very personal...and even uniquely so. I suspect that I (and you) express a unique aspect of divinity...as if we've each discovered some unique aspect of 'God,' who, of course, is totally mysterious and couldn't possibly be fully known by any one.
Knowing how some have confidently performed heinous crimes (or even unknowingly hurting others...I've been hurt by evangelicals and Catholics) while expressing their actions as God's will, encourages me to work out my salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12).
Bill Murray!