Groundhog Day, Karma, and Wishful Thinking

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“It is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment.”    Hebrews 9:27

As I mentioned in another post, I recently saw “Edge of Tomorrow,” the futuristic Tom Cruise film about an alien invasion threatening humanity, where a man is forced to relive the last day of his life over and over, until he figures out how to save his company – and the world.

Decades before “Edge of Tomorrow” a “same but different” film was released, which I can pretty much guarantee will be shown on at least one TV network this Sunday.

“Groundhog Day” is a movie about a journalist named Phil, who, for reasons that remain unexplained, must relive Groundhog Day until he “gets it right.” Both movies have scenes where a few moments of dialogue or action are shown repeatedly with variations of failures as the hapless men learn what not to do through a long process of elimination. While in “Edge of Tomorrow” the future of all of Mankind is threatened, in “Groundhog Day” what is at risk is merely one man’s self-esteem and winning his love interest.

(“Edge of Tomorrow” is “Groundhog Day” on steroids.)

What is it about the concept of time travel that fascinates us? Why do we fantasize about being able to go back in time, especially the opportunity to relive or reenact the past, to be able to “fix” mistakes? I’m guessing this desire is at the root of the concept of karma, the idea of living countless lives on one’s way to enlightenment and the ultimate goal, “nirvana.”

But each day passes only once, and regret over the past is one of the most excruciating emotions known to man. The sheer hopelessness of knowing that something done in the past can never be undone has driven many to despair. How many of us have said, “If only I could go back to that day, and change that one thing, everything would be so different now!”

But time is one thing Man has no control over, and as much as we may want to fix the past, there are no “do-overs” in life. While we may not be able to go back and correct the past, we can make the right choices now. And we don’t have to flounder about finding out what the “right” choices are by endless trial and error. The Bible – the Word of God – gives us clear directions about what to do with our messed-up lives.

First, we must acknowledge our sin and need for a savior. (I John 1:9) We must repent, (or as my GPS says, “Turn around when possible“), and place our faith in Jesus as the One who paid the price for our sins when He died on the cross. (I Peter 2:24) If we do this, He will forgive us, save us, and help us live better lives from this moment on.

The Bible is filled with stories of people who have made horrendous mistakes, seemingly fatal blunders, and outright deliberate evil, who nevertheless after repenting had their lives transformed by the grace of God. Apparently, if you’re still breathing, it’s not too late. Ask the thief that was crucified next to Jesus. (Luke 21:41-43)

The Bible says we have one life, one chance to get it right, and it would be wise to listen to our Creator, especially when He has made His truth available to us. We can’t go back and undo our mistakes, but we don’t have to be stuck in the mistakes of the past, either. We can get unstuck and do what’s right, starting today.

One last note:  This doesn’t mean we will be perfect, but if we keep short accounts with God – confess and repent as soon as we realize we’ve messed up  – we can enjoy a relationship with Him that will last all our lives here – and into eternity! (John 3:16)

“Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” (II Corinthians 6:2)

Prayer: Lord God of the past, present, and future, thank You for giving us Your Word to guide us through life. Thank You for forgiving us when we blow it and for helping us up when we stumble. Thank You that we don’t have to wallow in regrets over the past, but rather rejoice in Your grace and move on to a brighter future with You, in the name of Jesus, who died to pay for our sins and set us free. Amen

 

 

 

 

 

Published by seekingdivineperspective

I am a forgiven sinner and adopted child of God, seeking to see life from His perspective - as opposed to the world's flawed perspective - and living my life accordingly.

Published

48 thoughts on “Groundhog Day, Karma, and Wishful Thinking”

  1. Great post, and great truths here. The Hebrews 9:27 verse is one of the most sobering in all of Scripture, and every human being needs to take it seriously. The only “Tomorrow” awaiting us all is either Heaven and Hell. May God open up the eyes of the blind that they me see the Savior!

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      1. Thank you so much for your prayers 🤗. We have had a respite from the heat and some rain so that has helped a lot. But going to be having another heatwave in the upcoming weeks so continued prayer will be much appreciated.

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  5. Amen. Such wonderful insights here. No, we cannot go back, but, as long as He grants us the next breath, we have the opportunity for redemption, praise God, if we will but take it. Blessings to you!

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  7. I live a few miles from where Groundhog Day was filmed so the movie is kept fresh in our minds (especially this time of year). We all have things we wish we could do over, but the truth is all we can do is repent & then

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  10. Ann, I too see the danger in some of these films or ideas about beings visiting from other worlds which to some people are a greater belief or faith than believing in the Lord who has provided plenty of reason to believe, yet some people follow mere fantasy and deceptive thinking into oblivion! This is very timely of you to write this as my thoughts last night as I wrote about the “Chipping Away of America’s Foundation of Godly Virtues” and how I see this deterioration through societies around the globe has been growing exponentially especially because of the cyber technologies! So vital to awaken people to what is happening now before it’s too late I fear!
    Thank you and God bless you.
    Lawrence

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      1. WOW, now that’s some “Far-Out Theory!” I have to admit I never heard that one before and it is a bizarre one at that! Unless of course maybe aliens are angels and will be picking up all Christians to bring them home! Kidding aside, I’ve thought in recent years how it’s so amazing now that most people on the planet have cell phones with built in cameras and with all the surveillance ones all over the place, how it is we aren’t seeing alien visitors on a regular basis! I recall how when I was a kid they really played up the few grainy photos, video recordings or films of far off in the sky objects for all they were worth, giving the impression at least that some extraterrestrial beings were dropping in from time to time; but now I guess those beings got bored or maybe they’re extremely camera shy, could that be why nothing big is hitting the media or internet proving once and for all that there are actual beings from someplace out in space and they keep stopping by but won’t make unequivocal direct contact for some inexplicable reason; which is odd that they would go to all the bother but then would just blow us off as not worth talking to or at least attempting to communicate with! That’s highly preposterous to me; and as vast as space or the entire universe appears to be I still don’t think there are any out there, which might seem stupid of me to think this way to many people, but I actually think and more importantly believe there is God and His plan; that we are the focus of His plan just like Holy Scriptures tell us, and that might be boring to some but it works for me!
        Thank you Ann; for the great feedback and your excellent writing! I appreciate that you got me thinking deeply about these things.

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      1. Thank YOU Ann, for writing what you do and allowing me to tell you my thoughts! Very important and timely ideas or perceptions that you provide, that tie into my own personal world but of course in the bigger picture as well. Let’s keep the channel of thought and allow feelings from the heart to take shape as our Lord Jesus instructs us to do.
        Your Friend,
        Lawrence

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  13. Reminds me of a joke (if I may):

    If you could go back in time to meet yourself as a child, what would you tell yourself?

    I’d tell myself to not worry about anything because in the future I’ll invent a time machine.

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  14. I love futuristic movies, so I guess I’ll have to watch Edge of Tomorrow. 🙂 But I have been wondering about something lately. Does it seem like there are fewer people concerned about ‘getting it right’? As in, people seem to have no fear of God, no guilt over sin, anything goes and all is acceptable. Not all people, yet, but more people than before seem very unconcerned about God or what happens after death. It’s very sad to me, but I know what the Bible says. People’s hearts will grow cold and sin will abound until Jesus returns. Keep spreading the good news until it’s too late. ❤

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    1. Interesting point. You may be right. I tend to assume everyone thinks the way I do, and I have always been obsessed with “getting it right.” But there do seem to be a lot of people who don’t care. When I taught high school, I was talking to the kids about something I thought would benefit them and why, and one student snapped, “Why do you care?!” Baffled, I asked, “Why do you NOT care?” Why did I care more about them than they cared about themselves? No definitive answer, but I’m pretty sure the enemy of our souls has something to do with it.
      Thanks for stopping by!

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  17. Mine, too, Wendy. Thanks for stopping by.
    By the way, I tried to open some of your posts. You had one with “Karma” in the title, too, but I wasn’t able to open it. (“Oops! We can’t find that page…”) I don’t know if anyone else has had that problem.

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  18. I’ve missed your posts.
    This one is on point as per usual.
    IF we had an infinite amount of re-dos, we would never care to get it right the first time. There would be no motivation to do the right thing. We would just be sleepwalking through life. What a nightmare.
    We are not perfect. Embrace this, but also do your best EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. in every instance.

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  19. “There would be no motivation to do the right thing. We would just be sleepwalking through life.” Interesting point!
    You are the second person to tell me you’ve missed my posts. I have been posting regularly every Friday. You might check your spam folder. Please let me know if you can’t find them.

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  24. That was a great and comprehensive article…all the tips enumerated and explained will be helpful for those who are wise enough to tap from it. Any business nowadays without social media signals and presence may not make it to the outermost, and investment too is part of the key to success in business. Keep up the good work.

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  25. What a beautiful post. And so prescient! I especially love your prayer at the end. Thank God, He’s got us — even when it seems like we are living the same Quarantine Day, over and over and over… 😂

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