Growing up I was fascinated by the concept of a movie like “Ground Hog” day in which the main character gets stuck in a perpetual time loop of living the same day over and over again. No one else realizes the time loop effect, but the main character is stuck reliving a single day over and over again while retaining their memory of the previous days. There are various movies that follow a similar plot. The main character is forced to live the same day repeatedly until they escape it by figuring out some lesson. In the meantime, they begin to the master the day because they retain their memories of living of that same day repeatedly. The only thing that changes about each day is the main character’s response and influence within that day. As a result, the main character begins to “master” the day because they can anticipate every harm, accident, and potential outcome of their choices.
There is a certain allure to living this way because the characters become so skillful about living that day because of the unique accumulated knowledge that they acquire. A real downside of this plotline for a main character is that they inevitably become depressed with the fact that they can never move forward beyond the day. They are stuck reliving it over and over again.
Proverbs 1:2-5 tells us about the Proverbs of the Bible,
“Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline,
to help them understand the insights of the wise.
3 Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,
to help them do what is right, just, and fair.
4 These proverbs will give insight to the simple,
knowledge and discernment to the young.
5 Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser.”
What this tells me is that we don’t have to live the same day repeatedly in order to live it well. We can take it as it comes, hardships and all, and live it well if we learn to navigate life by God’s instruction and wisdom. Plus, it doesn’t come with that nasty side effect of having to live the same day over and over again.