Who’d have thought marking national literacy tests would continue to hold allegorical links to the Christian life? Well, not me. That’s for sure.

Maybe it’s because I read a Psalm before I started marking yesterday. Maybe it’s because I’ve been reading Psalms all year.

But when I pulled up yet another response that chose to interpret the writing prompt in the same way as, well, all the other children in their grade in NSW… I thought ‘And the same again…’. (You can almost say word for word what will happen in the script)

Because I can’t talk about the responses I’m reading, I’m just gonna say that between you and me, I think there’s a number of Year 3 children who need to get out more often. Maybe a recent lockdown has something to do with it, I don’t know.

Just feels very same-y.

And with that feeling, I instantly sense a connection to the Christian life.

Last week I was reflecting on ‘progress’ or ‘achievement’ in the Christian life and how we might measure it. It occurred to me – as I marked – that really, some days in the Christian life are just ‘same same’ – and that’s OK.

Why should we expect God to ‘pull a rabbit out of a hat’ every day of our lives? Just because we’ve converted, doesn’t mean he’s obligated to do so. The prospect of him actually doing so seems somewhat farcical; almost as though he doesn’t take us seriously.

He gives us each day our daily bread. But that doesn’t mean it has to be a different loaf every day. A consistent dark rye diet is not a bad thing. On the flip side, it’s actually a good idea.

The Lord knows what to serve up and sometimes the Christian life is a repeated diet: read the word, pray, step out into the day in service. Then do it all again tomorrow.

And perhaps in that there is at least one indicator of progress and achievement in the Christian life that we can take away and consider.

Will we do it all again tomorrow, even if it’s just ‘same-same’? Or will we throw in the towel?

If we throw in the towel, there’s no chance for achievement. If we are in Christ, he will assist us to achieve. As the apostle, Paul states to the Philippians:

…he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus

In the first place we ‘achieve’ salvation through Christ. Following that, we ‘achieve’ perseverance and completion through Christ.

So, achievement and progress in our spiritual lives, centres on Christ. Anything claimed as progress outside of him, is not actually progress. It might have some fancy bells and whistles, but if there’s no Christ, there’s no growth.

I don’t think I’ve finished reflecting on this one yet. I’ve still not finished marking NAPLAN either. At least however, with today’s post, I feel I’ve made a start.

And that in itself is an achievement.

Yours in Groundhog Day,

Alison