Why Does My Life Feel So Repetitive?
The daily grind often feels repetitive and meaningless, but our purpose isn't found in our to-do lists. True meaning and fulfillment come when we begin to seek and find God in our ordinary, everyday moments.
Here are a few things that went through my mind recently as I swept crumbs off the kitchen floor...please let me know if any other moms out there relate to this. Here goes:
- I need to call the doctor’s office.
- I need to wash the darks today. They are piling up again.
- I need to add milk to the grocery list.
- I already need to transition to the next size up in clothes for both of the girls.
- I need to get more of the details lined out for my toddler's birthday party.
- I need to meal plan for next week.
- This kitchen floor hasn’t been mopped in a hot minute. I really should get to that.
- Wow, that paperwork is piling up again.
And so it endlessly repeats in the minds of countless moms just trying to keep their homes afloat. Many times, we sweep up the same mess day after day, wipe the same faces clean, and fight bedtime routines night after night. It can make us question: Is there more to my life than this?
Ecclesiastes 1:2-7 says:
Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.
We read this and wonder—what does the writer mean by "vanity"?
The ESV Study Bible says this passage reminds us that the pleasures and endeavors of this earthly life are temporary. The earth remains forever, but we will not. So what is the point of living? What is our purpose? What happens when the daily grind just feels meaningless?
Finding Meaning in the Mundane
As I enter my third year as a stay-at-home mom, I have felt these feelings a lot. Going from being a full-time teacher to staying home with a baby was quite an adjustment and a major transition in my life. Now that I have had another baby, learning to navigate raising two instead of just one has been another shift. The mundane tasks of raising children and keeping a home often go unseen, and when you're raising littles, often unthanked.
Sometimes I have thought: "Is there any purpose to this? If only my children could really understand the daily sacrifices I'm making for them." The constant cooking, cleaning up, laundry, dishes—you name it—when you stay at home, all those to-dos can make you feel trapped and leave you longing for something more.
But repetition is not unique to motherhood. Depending on what season of life you're in, your day-to-day may not look the same as mine, but that doesn't change the fact that all routines can become monotonous after a while. Teachers prepare lessons, grade papers, and answer many questions (sometimes the same ones over and over). Doctors care for patients. Mechanics repair vehicles. Office workers answer emails and attend meetings. Farmers plant crops year after year.
No matter our occupation, if we are not careful, we can find ourselves looking to our daily routines for meaning rather than recognizing our Heavenly Father within them.
Finding God in the Day-to-Day
As I try to avoid just going through the motions, I have found it imperative to seek and find God in my ordinary moments. Many times, our routines may not feel important or exciting. They may involve dishes, diapers, lesson plans, typing spreadsheets, or meetings. But meaning doesn't come simply from our daily tasks; it comes from the God who is with us as we do them.
As you approach your to-dos for today, pause and pray:
"God, help me to look to you with what feels like my never-ending lists, thankful for what you've given me. Help me to show your love today and be faithful to You in these mundane moments. Help me to find you—in the ordinary."
