Monotonous Blessings

By: Chris Johnson

“Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, ‘Do it again;’ and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, ‘Do it again’ to the sun; and every evening, ‘Do it again’ to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.” – G.K. Chesterton

I was thinking of this quote while appreciating the beauty of the autumn leaves around our home. God is gracious in that the glories of fall come so rarely and last for so short a time. If it happened more often, it too would grow monotonous, along with so many other daily acts of God we accept thanklessly as if from the cold hand of an atheist’s “nature.”

Why should the world turn to vibrant yellows, oranges, and reds every year before the monochrome of winter? Because God finds it “very good.” Because it delights Him. And, I believe, because it delights us.

I love that quote by G.K. Chesterton because he clearly understands how a parent feels when the kids thrust that book we’ve read a thousand times into our lap and say, “read it!” Or when you’ve thrown them on the bed a dozen times and they come running back yelling, “more, more!” Sometimes your mind and body do feel, “nearly dead,” and you dread those words, “Do it again!”

But worse, as a parent, is when you watch your children lose their delight in the monotony – when you pull the book off the shelf and think, “we haven’t read this in a long time; it used to be their favorite.” Or when you go to tickle them and find they no longer find it funny. It’s much more difficult as a parent to watch them lose that “abounding vitality,” knowing that to some extent what they’re growing out of is a capacity for joy.

Soon enough they’ll be just like us, the sun will burst above and then below the horizon unappreciated by them. The dandelions will turn white and they will not blow away the seeds. They’ll see a rock pile and have no desire to climb it.

Instead, they’ll be worrying with us about elections and the economy and the price of gasoline.

But God will still be there saying “Do it again.”

In the past few months, as mature adults have been watching polls and tracking campaigns, predicting which candidate will determine the future of America, a hurricane ripped through the southern United States, the Northern Lights could be seen as far south as Alabama, and fall came to Michigan in the midst of 80-degree days. And we think we’re in charge of things down here.

This month begins with the end of election season and it ends with the beginning of the holiday season – Thanksgiving: a perfect time to open our eyes to the “monotonous” gifts of God which we find ourselves too “grown-up” to exult in.

“Of course these mashed potatoes taste good, there’s butter and salt in them!” Well, why should our food have flavor at all, and not be slop with just enough nutrients to keep us alive?

“Of course we won’t freeze to death, I turned the thermostat up to 72!” Well, why should you have been born in this moment and not any other period of human history where survival in a Michigan winter would require that every day be full of back-breaking work?

“Of course we can go see our family across the state, I just filled up the car with gas.” When’s the last time you thanked God for the internal combustion engine?

Our votes and our elections are important and do have a huge impact on our lives and the lives of our neighbors. And we don’t know what kind of turmoil the next few months and years will bring. If there isn’t much turmoil in the aftermath of this election cycle, that would be something to be ESPECIALLY grateful for.

But NO MATTER WHAT happens in American politics, we have so much to be grateful for, so many blessings we’re blind to, because we’re just so used to getting them.

“The world will never starve for want of wonders, but for want of wonder.” That’s another Chestertonism.

One of my favorite verses is one of those “monotonous” truths that every Christian child knows the answer to, but we too rarely take the time to meditate on: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James 1:17

Every good thing in our lives that brings us pleasure comes from God, how can we not live in a state of wonder? How can we not be always saying, “Do it again!”

As we approach Thanksgiving, “exult” in God’s “monotonous” blessings.

 

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