Saying The Same Thing, Over and Over

Do you know what I mean when I say I often feel like a broken record? If you don’t understand, well, maybe you’re not old enough. From my younger years, my record player was the only way to get to listen to those sounds I enjoyed. The radio? Well, it’s what “they” wanted you to hear!

I could preload my record player with a stack of vinyl, and play hours of music, then flip and rearrange the stack, and listen to Side B!

Occasionally, an old record had a scratch across the groove and the needle of the record player could not advance. What happens? Whatever you are listening to is suddenly stuck saying the same thing. Over. And over.

Here’s the key. It repeats the same phrase until it is jarred loose, or it advances on it’s own. Something happens to make the needle advance and the continued sounds emanate from the the speakers. Ahhaaa! Fixed!

Here I Am Today

On more days than one, I feel like a record stuck in the groove saying the same thing, over and over. It’s tiring not having a new message, or experiences, or choices! Unless I’m jarred or find some new direction, my life, words and experiences are just like a broken record.

This is not the definition of insanity! You know, doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results! No. This is being in the same groove for an unknown reason, and struggling with trying to jar life, or my message, to keep moving forward!

What to do?

If anything, I’m more than ready for a new spring to my step! I’m ready to add some depth to my experiences, and like an ancient mariner, I’m ready to set my sails into a new direction.

Back in college days, one of the books we focused on was “Jonathan Livingston Seagull”, a novella revolving around a seagull who found himself dissatisfied with status quo, and rose higher than anyone else, looking for a greater purpose. He finds it, but then returns back to his own haunts to share his story and passion, passing the knowledge on to flocks everywhere.

Why is this important? If you understand what happened, the seagull found greater purpose, but, in my view, finds himself again being like that intrepid record player. Stuck in a groove! Telling the same ol’ story, albeit to a brand new audience!

Here’s My Thought Today

Life is more likely a broken record than it is a Jonathan Livingston Seagull experience. The quicker I realize this, the happier I become with my purpose in life.

Mac Davis used to sing a song about stopping and smelling the roses along the way, and this brings me to my consideration. Life, even when stuck in a groove, has potential life enhancing choices along the way. It’s all about your attitude. Do you see the possibilities? Are you a “positive” or a “negative”?

I believe you must have rules and experiences in your life to see the positives while living in the negatives.

Example

Do you remember your younger math days? Suddenly you are learning that numbers are integers, and each number has a positive or negative component, and all you old math rules fly out the window!

What do you do? Figure the problem out, and make up some new rules! You know, be a seagull and explain to others what you have found out! Do you remember these rules of dealing with positives and negatives?

1. Rule 1: Subtracting a positive number from a positive number – it’s just normal subtraction.
2. Rule 2: Subtracting a positive number from a negative number – start at the negative number and count backwards.
3. Rule 3: Subtracting a negative number from a negative number – a minus sign followed by a negative sign, turns the two signs into a plus sign.
4. Rule 4: Subtracting a negative number from a positive number – turn the subtraction sign followed by a negative sign into a plus sign.

Stating the new rules is not enough! You must explain with examples. No. I’m not giving you a math lesson, but just like everything we learn in life, we must have examples so that the rules make sense.

Application

Think about all the “rules” we live by. Somewhere in the past we applied the rules to the situation and garnered some understanding. Sometimes the learning hurts!

We learn, then teach, and we learn again!
Always with examples to explain the rules.

“Why is fire hot?”, asks the two year old… Well, how do you apply the rule in such a way that a youngster will understand without hurting themselves?

See! You must give examples to the rules so they make sense to the learner. This means you must know your audience!

Who is my audience?

When I write, I imagine I’m communicating to those who know me, and I know where they are. The reality? My blog is picked up all around the globe. So, I write in a generally pointed sequence to attempt to make sense on a broad sense. A seeker will dig out a deeper lesson from some shallow words. Just like I take a myriad of thoughts, often disjointed and shallow, but dig for deeper lessons! They are there! All for the taking.

Summary

Where Do I Go? How do I challenge myself to find deeper purpose, broader audience, or a narrowed focus? No matter how old I get, that’s where my mind is always ranging outwards! Looking for purpose!

With all the distractions possible, Jesus started off young with a major focus! At age 12, when lost by his parents and found in the temple, he replied:

Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49)

He knew his path, and from a young age his focus was moving forward to his destiny. Like Jonathan Livingston Seagull, he comes back to reside in the heart and life of seekers, and we become the teachers to others.

Catch this thought… When you find your purpose, then you are like that broken record! You know what is given to you to share, and you do, until that jarring or change that allows you to move on and forward!