Nearly every shampoo bottle contains directions that goes something like this: Wash. Rinse. Repeat. If you Google this, you can actually get lost in dissenting opinions about how many times and how frequently these instructions should be followed. One post pointed out that if you do this literally as printed, you’ll run out of shampoo before you exit the shower.

Besides giving me a laugh, it also struck me how much of life follows a similar pattern. A repeating cycle. One day ends with all of its toil and labor, only to give way to repeating the same process tomorrow. And if I’m honest, I sometimes resist this reality. I try to think of ways that I will finally arrive at the end of such circular living.

But Scripture continually highlights that this is a truth to be accepted, not avoided. Now, before I share one of the most concentrated places in Scripture that speaks about this, I must give you a warning. It can feel depressing. Here it goes:

“’Everything is meaningless,’ says the Teacher, ‘completely meaningless!’ What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again… The wind blows south and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles. Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea. Everything is wearisome beyond description.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2-8)

Well, before you throw in the towel today, keep in mind that the vanity in these verses is discovered when we humans do not accept life on God’s terms. If we’re looking for a different outcome than what God has designed, then this passage is super depressing. But what if meaning and joy are actually found in embracing this circle of living, rather than resisting it? Think about it.

Prayer
Lord, help us to embrace the rhythms of life as Your divine design. Finding joy and pleasure in living the life that You have given to us and seeking You in all things. In Jesus’ name, Amen.