Romans chapter 6 gives us some great encouragement: 11b. ...reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
Yes, it is Groundhog Day, no doubt one of the most quirky observances on earth - a day when millions of Americans have their eyes fixed on a town in Pennsylvania, where a small furry animal comes out of his hole and is regarded as some sort of prognosticator. Yes, it's an endearing little tradition, complete with an Inner Circle for Punxsutawney Phil that cares for him and his bride, Phyllis, in the town library. According to Groundhog.org, President Bill Deeley of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club summoned the creature to come forth - it was a bright sunshiny day in Pennsylvania, therefore Phil saw his shadow and there will now be 6 more weeks of winter - case closed!!
Because of a movie starring Bill Murray back in 1993 called "Groundhog Day", where Murray plays a weatherman sent to cover this event and enters some sort of time trap, reliving the day over and over again, with some humorous and even dark effects, the phrase "Groundhog Day" has entered common use as a reference to an unpleasant situation that continually repeats, or seems to.
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In the military, referring to unpleasant, unchanging, repetitive situations as “Groundhog Day” was widespread very soon after the movie’s release in February 1993. A speech by then-President Clinton in 1996 specifically referred to the movie and the use of the phrase by military personnel in Bosnia. It's also reportedly been used by military members to describe any day of a tour of duty in Iraq.
In some ways, perhaps our lives can take on that appearance of a "Groundhog Day" - same old routine day to day, and maybe even the same practices that we can't quite seem to shake or overcome. We enter into a repetitive cycle of sin, guilt, confession, and a mental attitude to maybe not do it again - but we do it again, and again. We are trapped in our own shame, and need to break free, but we don't know how.
There is good news for those trapped in a cycle of sin and guilt - through the power of God's word and His Holy Spirit, He can give us hope and equip us with the tools we need in order to live an overcoming life. When we feel stuck in our spiritual walk, God's truth will set us free. When we encounter the same old struggles, He gives us the ability to do something different! There is hope in the battles we face.
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