…as long as we’re talking about the right movies.

I realized last night that Groundhog Day (the movie) is a fitting illustration of the Christian life.

Every Day is the Same Old Thing

I don’t know about anyone else, but I often feel as though I’m on a hamster wheel: every day we get up and do all the same things, just so we can survive today and make it to tomorrow, so we can do all the same things…

I was reading something last night (not even anything good; just a “fluff” novel) where a character described his every-day-the-same routine in terms of Groundhog Day, and that resonated with me.

As I thought about it, though, I realized something — something hopeful/encouraging!

The fundamentals of the Bill Murray character’s day never changed. And he didn’t make any notable changes. In fact, the changes he did begin to make are best described as “tweaks.” Individually, they probably wouldn’t really even be noticeable.

But over time, all of these tiny changes added up, so that by the end of the last “Groundhog Day” of the movie, his day seemed radically different than the first time.

What does that have to do with me?

I tend to get discouraged because I don’t see any difference — no growth or change — from one day to the next.

But I doubt he did, either.

It was only the cumulative effect that became noticeable.

So I’m going to try to live my life a little like Groundhog Day. Not looking for the second “Groundhog Day” of my life to look like the last, but simply seeking to improve something a little bit every day, knowing that I may not notice any difference — but eventually I’ll look back and see how far I’ve come.