History repeats itself

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Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning. (Albert Einstein)

History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now. (Ecclesiastes 1:9-11)

History merely repeats itself. If we are honest here, the 'history' of our own lives is kind of repetitive - at least until we ask Jesus to help us stop repeating the same mistakes! Einstein was right - we never should stop questioning - in the questioning, we often discover something we have been believing or doing that really isn't all that good for us. When we question where we are with taking the steps God asks us to take, we are merely asking God if we are moving in the right direction. There is nothing wrong with a little 'internal housekeeping' on occasion!

If you haven't noticed by now, the steps we take toward total obedience to the revealed will of God are really not 'new steps'. They are just a little further along on the same path. Sometimes we get so caught up in God having to do 'something new' in our lives that we miss out on the fact he has already set us on the path toward that 'newness' or 'freshness'. We just have to turn toward it, take a step into it, and learn to live in it. All that is old is passed away - what is new is really our steps toward total, committed, and permanent obedience.

As Einstein pointed out - we need to learn from yesterday. Too many repeated mistakes happen because we don't learn to let go of the past and move into the present. We hold onto what God asks us to let go of, imagining it might be 'better' now than it was 'back then'. How's that been working out for you? For me, not so well! What is in the past is just that - past, unchangeable, done, over. Today is an opportunity for a fresh step of obedience. Will you take it? Or will you allow history to repeat itself once again? Just askin...

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