Feb 20-21, 2021
From the Pastor’s Desk: Pastor Alex Poon
Have you begun to notice that your days are beginning to blur together? Are you beginning to realize you’re forgetting which day of the week it is?
It might be because all our days seem to be so similar now. Our routines are the same day in and day out as we find ourselves spending more time safely at home. Each morning begins in the same way, and each bedtime routine follows the monotony of the day before.
I’ve noticed the same repetitions in my life. And I know others feel the same. Just some enjoy the same routines more than others.
I realize that for me and others who continue to work, we have tasks to separate our weekdays from weekends. At least we’re more prone to recognize the date on the calendar. But for those of you who are retired, I wonder how you’ve been able to separate your days apart?
While our days may all look similar, let us be sensitive to the nuances of each fresh day.
Monotony or routine can be exciting and fun in their own unique ways. Because through the sameness, you’ll really notice the subtle differences. You’ll notice the smaller variations that rise up above the stillness. You’ll notice the distinct conversation you had today that you didn’t have yesterday. You’ll notice the thought that peaked your curiosity today, that didn’t come to mind yesterday. You’ll notice the budding leaf that’s grown on your living room plant that wasn’t there the day before. Or you’ll notice how the patch of snow you encounter on your daily walk has been turning to water, day by day.
But on the other hand, let’s not deny that the same routine can cause a level of dreariness, or boredom – especially if we’re in a constant state of waiting for the “more”.
I recognize that in this temporary season, while we’re all living under Provincial Health Orders, it may be harder than usual to find the moments of our tomorrow to look forward to. We wonder what the next day will bring and if there will be anything to look forward to. But there is. There’s a blessing in tomorrow’s monotony, because this again-and-again is a direct reflection of the God we worship.
He is God of again-and-again.
God calls the oceans tides to crash against the rock of the cliff day after day, hour by hour, minute after minute, seconds apart.
God causes the sun to come up each fresh morning. To give rise to each new day’s activities. Then, He causes it to go down again for each night’s good rest.
God circles the clouds around the world and back, travelling the skies – as the song goes, “all-the-day long”.
We might be quick to be lost in the monotony, but God thrives in the routine.
Because for God, every petal that grows on the flower, every wildflower in the fields, every blade of grass on the lawn – while they may look all the same to us, to Him, they are so vastly set apart.
In our over and again, let us be quick to be sensitive to the nuances of the day. There, let us notice a new thought that comes, a new curiosity that arises, and those fresh encounters with a wonderment of who God is.
There are thrilling moments to seek. There are fresh encounters to experience. Our God is a creator God, who creates uniquely each new day.
We have reason to worship God for His nature of again and again. Because the piece of routine that draws our worship, is God’s everlasting grace each fresh day.
We rest upon His mercies, which are new every morning. His steadfast love never runs dry. Great is his faithfulness, for He gifts His grace again and again.
My prayer for you is that you find peace in your everyday routines. There is a beauty in doing things the same over and over again. The more you grow in familiarity with each day, the more you’ll notice the subtle differences of it all. And there, in the peace of routine, may you find comfort that you’ve been gifted with an opportunity to just simply… relax.