As I mentioned last week, I recently enjoyed what’s become an annual summer visit to Breckenridge, Colorado with my mom. As I’ve reflected on my time there (and the photos I’ve taken), I realize there are a lot of repeats. We stay in the same place, eat out at the same favorite restaurants (though we did discover a great new-to-us Vietnamese place this year), and take many of the same hikes that we did last year.
American culture in general doesn’t care for such repetition. We watch or read or stream “news” because it’s about what’s new. We are encouraged to try new recipes, new vacation spots, and new challenges at work. The focus of marketing is all about the latest and greatest new versions of things. (This can be frustrating for consumers, as when a manufacturer “upgraded” the comfortable walking shoes I’d been happily wearing for years—and the new ones didn’t work for me!)
In contrast, there is significant spiritual value in repetition. We are encouraged to develop rhythms where we say the same prayers in the same place at the same time of day. We might use the same icon or piece of music or sacred word or phrase to help us focus our attention or return to the present moment in Centering Prayer. Over the years, many Christians return to the same scripture verses on Sunday mornings in a three-year cycle called the common lectionary.
One advantage of such repetition is the opportunity to go deeper. When we immerse ourselves in someplace we’ve been before, we may notice different things. I visited Breckenridge in July rather than August this year, so different things were in bloom, and the summer rains had not yet brought out many mushrooms. When we say the same words in prayer, we are reminded of the prior generations of the faithful who said these prayers before us.
Sometimes when we revisit a prayer or a place, we get in touch with the ways we have changed. We might focus on different things. I noticed river water levels more than mushrooms this year. Since I’m in a housing transition period, I was more curious about the real estate flyers and displays in town (though Breckenridge is not in my price range!). In scripture, we might find ourselves noticing the chaos in our spiritual ancestors’ lives because it mirrors the uncertainties we feel in our own.
There’s real value in going deeper in the same place. Some families return to the same lakeside cabin or beach house every summer. The place is the same, but the experience is different each year as children grow, the house ages, and the “big fish” stories accumulate.
What is your experience with the value of returning to the same place or same scripture or same prayer?
Thank you, Shirin, for drawing our minds into the constancy (not consistency!) of change.
The prayer that stays with me around my bedside is this:
“Angel of God… My Guardian dear … to whom God’s love commits you here.
Ever this day … be at my side .. to light and guard … to rule and guide. Amen”
Although I am not 3 on my knees any longer, almost 4-score that, it remains my night time favorite as I rest my head on my pillow.
Thank you, Mo, for sharing the prayer that means so much to you. Yes, there’s a big difference between constant and consistent change…!
Peace,
Shirin
And, Shirin, to answer your question of the value of returning to this prayer experience nightly, Angels have definitely been with me throughout my lifetime sparing my heart from further confusion, and my body from mortal danger.
Oh, Mo, I’m so glad for you! There is definitely value in prayer…sometimes seemingly very reasonable, sometimes totally unexpected…!
Peace,
Shirin
I find myself deeply reliant on routine and structure in daily life – it helps with my ADD and “squirrel” tendencies. When that routine disappears, I experience a genuine sense of unmooring and disconnection that can be quite unsettling.
While our current travels offer wonderful opportunities to observe and appreciate new experiences, I recognize I couldn’t sustain the nomadic lifestyle that many of our fellow travelers seem to thrive on. We’ve met a couple who spend 6 months of the year exploring!
Your suggestion about using transition periods as opportunities for exploration rather than clinging to familiar patterns resonates with me, though. Perhaps that’s exactly the invitation this season of change is offering you—to lean into discovery rather than the comfort of repetition.
Going deeper sounds right. Embrace it, enjoy it!
Thank you, Damien! I’m grateful for your perspective—on both the value of routine and structure and the fact that we sometimes need to leave it behind, figuratively or literally! It is definitely a season of discovery for me, and I’m grateful for your encouragement and support.
Peace,
Shirin