Repetition is tedious. It’s hard doing the same thing over and over again. But this is the rhythm of life. And submitting to this discipline brings much freedom and blessing.
While God’s creative variety is certainly displayed throughout creation, he doesn’t despise the place of consistent rhythms and repetition. Everyday the sun rises. And it will do it again tomorrow.
To be sure, much of our learning and growth comes through repetition. This is how we master the foundational skills of walking, reading, and writing. And some repetition was also needed to establish a working foundation in our professional industries, just as professional athletes or singers must repeat the basics over and over again.
There is a place for creativity and innovation. But this stems from a workable foundation built through repetition. Because the sun comes up every morning we have greater freedom to plan and organize our day. It would be chaos if we couldn’t rest in this set order of things. Likewise, when we know basic truths and skills by heart, then we have a rich well of inner resources to pull from as we dream and imagine new possibilities.
As such, just as we do professionally, we must also do relationally and spiritually. We must put in our reps. This might be committing to consistent rhythms of dating our wife, our sex life, or simply our practice of gratitude for each other. In the same way, we submit the discipline of prayer, Scripture reading, and worship.
As with any act of repetition, there will likely be moments of boredom and exhaustion. And it will be tempting to give up and search for more exciting things to do. But joy and deeper satisfaction is found through these necessary repetitions however hard they might be in the moment.
In the end, repetition is freeing – after you submit to its yoke of discipline. Discover the joy of repeating the important matters until you know them by heart.
