The. Same. Old. Thing.
Stay-at-home mother. Faithful, submissive wife. Homemaker. It’s the Same. Old. Thing. for many of us. We wash dishes over and over again. We’ve changed hundreds of diapers, rocked sick babies, fixed another meal, vacuumed another carpet, shopped for healthy food, cleaned another toilet, and on and on the list goes. The. Same. Old. Thing.
My grandchildren were here this past weekend. Their parents needed a break so we had the three young ones for 24 hours. It was hard because Ken and I are not young anymore but we loved it! Hard isn’t bad. It’s just hard but worth it. Yes, I had to change diapers, feed them over and over again, teach them about Jesus, clean up, pick up, and scrub. The. Same. Old. Thing.
Do you know that the enemy of our soul has used the Same. Old. Thing. to take many women away from the path that the Lord wants them to be on? My grandchildren love books and they happened to leave out “The Screwtape Letters”* by C. S. Lewis (Satan talking to his helper on how to weaken Christianity) on my coffee table. (No, they can’t read this book yet. It’s way above their ability to read or understand!) I decided to pick it up and read some of it and I read about the Same. Old. Thing. and how Satan uses this in our lives to draw us away from God’s will.
“The horror of the Same Old Thing is one of the most valuable passions we have produced in the human heart – an endless source of heresies in religion, folly in counsel, infidelity in marriage, and inconstancy in friendship…To experience much of it, therefore, they must experience many different things; in other words, they must experience change…He (God) has contrived to gratify both tastes together in the very world He has made, by that union of change and permanence which we call Rhythm. He gives them the seasons, each season different yet every year the same, so that spring is always felt as a novelty yet always as the recurrence of an immemorial theme.”*
Man naturally wants and enjoys change and God has given us change in a godly and beautiful ways: seasons, morning, evening, the tide, the moon, food, the flowers, birth, childhood, adulthood, old age, death. We should be content with the change He brings in our lives and not be making up “new and improved” ways to worship, live, and love that God has established for us.
“Now just as we pick out and exaggerate the pleasure of eating to produce gluttony, so we pick out this natural pleasantness of change and twist it into a demand for absolute novelty.”* Feminism. Careers for women. Daycare. Affairs. Worsening of TV shows and movies. Public schooling.
“This demand is valuable in various ways. In the first place it diminishes pleasure while increasing desire.”* Feminism began to “help” women depending upon who you ask. They “helped” them to be able to own property, vote, and a few other things. These didn’t bring the pleasure they expected so they went after birth control, sex with whomever, abortion, divorce, no-fault divorce, child care, careers. These didn’t bring the pleasures they expected either, so they have a Women’s March and dress up in vaginas and post tampons on walls and have no idea what they are “fighting” so hard for anymore. Their pleasure is gone but they still have a rebellious desire for change because they are sick of the Same. Old. Thing.
“And continued novelty costs money, so that the desire for it spells avarice or unhappiness of both. And again, the more rapacious this desire, the sooner it must eat up all the innocent sources of pleasure and pass on to those the Enemy (God) forbids. Thus by inflaming the horror of the Same Old Thing we have recently made the Arts, for example. less dangerous to us than perhaps, they have ever been, ‘low-brow’ and ‘high-brow’ artists alike being now daily drawn into fresh, and still fresh, excesses of lasciviousness, unreason, cruelty, and PRIDE.”*
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. (Romans 1:18-25)
“But the greatest triumph of all is to elevate this horror of the Same Old Thing into a philosophy so that nonsense in the intellect may reinforce corruption in the will.”* Way too many women are swayed by the Ancient Serpent of old (feminism and pride which is fueled by the depraved universities; For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.): “I don’t feel validated, worth anything, or appreciated being at home all day stuck with my children doing the same old thing. I need to get out. Use my gifts, intellect, and talents the Lord gave me. Put my children in day care for others to raise, make my husband help me with household chores, and make my mark on the world!”
“The Enemy (God) loves platitudes. Of a proposed course of action He wants men, so far as I can see, to ask very simple questions; is it righteous? is it prudent? is it possible? Now if we can keep men asking, ‘Is it in accordance with the general movement of our time? is is progressive or reactionary? Is this the way that History is going?’ they will neglect the relevant questions. And the questions they do ask are, of course, unanswerable; for they do not know the future, and what the future will be depends very largely on just those choices which they now invoke the future to help them make.”* Christians should measure all their decisions by “is it righteous? is it prudent? is it possible?” reassured with the fact that we know what and where our future is and that He (God) has the best prescription for our lives, even if our lives are the Same. Old. Thing. day after day and fraught with hardships. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).
“Once they knew that some changes were for the better, and others for the worse, and others again indifferent. We have largely removed this knowledge.”* They no longer can distinguish good from evil and get them all mixed up. Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20)
The ironic thing is in the end, mothers who leave their homes to find fulfillment and satisfaction from careers and their instead of caring for their husbands, children, and homes, end up doing the Same. Old. Thing, day after day but not according to God’s will for them and everyone suffers. They fail to store their treasures in heaven where they belong.
15 thoughts on “The. Same. Old. Thing.”
Good morning Lori. This is something that I battle with. I had to ask for forgiveness many times for this type of mindset. It’s not as bad as it used to be but I know there is room for improvement. Being a s.a.h.m. there are days where I get extremely lonely because lack of fellowship. I know I’m doing the right thing by keeping my children with me. It’s a blessing indeed, but every blessing has its struggles. Thank you for this on time post. Its much needed for us younger women with all the temptations around us.
So true! THANK-YOU for reminding older women, like me, and for teaching these important, biblical truths to the new generation of women. They won’t hear this ANYWHERE else (with exception to a few like-minded ministries such as aboverubies.org, Elizabeth Elliot’s teachings, etc.) Your posts are always refreshing, convicting, and encouraging. They challenge us to do what is right in God’s eyes, not the world’s! God bless!
I have definitely complained about “the same old thing” many a time… Thanks for the reminder!
Not only the temptations but the lies swirling around but our hope is in Christ alone and His will is always best for us. Life is an attitude. When you understand you are exactly where God can use you most, you are satisfied. Just wait until your children are all grown up walking with Jesus…there is NO greater joy!
Thank you, Darlene. Truth is what sets us free, not lies. It sets us free from sin and the entanglement with the world’s ways which is dead and ugly. Lives lived in glory to the LORD, even though there is suffering and hard times, are the beautiful ones. We reap what we sow and mothers who are pouring their lives into their husbands, children, and homes will reap wonderful fruit!
Remind yourself (place plaques around your home) that the JOY of the LORD is your strength and the many other verses about being thankful, rejoicing, and even happy.
“Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord.” (Psalm 144:15)
I find that I get sluggish and have to have goals. Living in a very cold, deary area doesn’t help. I love the other seasons but winter. I seem to have more energy in those months I can get outside.
I love being at home, but need to push myself to get things done in the winter season. I have done a schedule for each day, so I do have goals.
It seems that winter is the only time I have this issue. I do take extra Vit D to help.
Lori, thank you for your messages and for understanding that to undo the cultural messages of the world. Thank you for your persistence and steady faith and most of all for sharing it.
I prayed for a post from you like this! I desperately needed this! Thank you!
It would be hard where the winters are so long and harsh. There are blue lamps that are supposed to be good but if I lived where it was cold, I would try to get outside whenever the sun was out, even if it were for a short time and find some type of exercise somehow. Housekeeping can be good exercise if you have a lot of children!
You’re welcome, Diane. I am thankful the Lord has given me this ministry clearly in His Word!
You’re welcome, Karen. I am going to continue reading The Screwtape Letters because I think there’s a lot of good stuff in it! 🙂
I have to think that, because we are in the days when people are lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, that women become bored and discontent very easily. Our lives aren’t always easy, but there is a simplicity in obeying the Lord that the world knows nothing about. I’m still learning what God is teaching me from the Bible about this. He has slowed me down a lot and it has been a blessing!
Be still and know that I am God, He tells us. Being busy in a “value” in our culture but it isn’t to the Lord. We need to be quiet and learn from Him and His ways in His Word. This brings life!
I, too, live in a cold place: winter is from November until April. And I, too, have some goals for my work in my home each day, and I have some strategies to fight those cold and gray days : beginning my active day around 7am, exercising inside my home after breakfast (elliptical and musculation), walking outside at lunch time (street, field, or woods) at least 15 minutes, and all day long, having all curtains wide opened, and lights on where I am working. Herbal teas and soups to keep me warm, and often thinking of the limitless blessings God gives me !!! All those things bring me warmth and help me be patient until spring is there ?!!