Steer clear of ruts

We went to the Zoo the other day. The kids loved it. And the animals got me thinking.

At each of the cages, the kids called out to the animals. They growled at the tigers, roared at the lions, hooted at the monkeys, squawked at the condor. . . we didn't know what sound to make to the Komodo Dragon.

At each cage, they were hoping to draw the attention of the animal, hoping that the animal might growl or hoot or squawk in return. The condor put on a show, dancing around in a circle and squawking back, but the other animals were basically uninterested. The animals ignored us. They'd seen children before, and heard the noises before. They were watching a re-run, and the children were the same this week as they were last week.

If we're not careful, we can experience our lives in the same way, as a re-run. Many of us have days that look mostly alike. We work in the same place, drive the same routes, talk to the same people, eat the same breakfast. Before long, we begin to look out at our world and think, "ho-hum, I've seen this before."

Yet our God is constantly creating. Our world is almost never, ever the same. If we see the same, it's because we are not paying attention. There's always a new weed pushing up in my driveway. There's always a new cloud pattern (or lack thereof) in the sky. As a parent, I see my kids change every day. They learn something new, every day.