One of my all-time favorite movies is “Groundhog Day.” It tells the story of Phil Connors, an arrogant weatherman from Pittsburgh, who is dispatched to the town of Punxsutawney to do his weather report live from their annual Groundhog Day Festival. His disdain for both the assignment and the town is obvious; and he wants nothing more than to get it over with and return home as quickly as possible. However, a sudden winter storm forces him to spend yet another night in Punxsutawney.
When he wakes up the next morning, he is surprised to learn that it is Groundhog Day all over again! Confused, he somehow manages to endure the day one more time—only to discover that the following morning it’s the same thing, and the day after that. It’s as if he is stuck in a time warp, where every day is February 2nd!
Eventually, Connors decides that he might be able to use this anomaly to his advantage. After all, if there is literally no tomorrow, then you can pretty much do whatever you please, because there will never be any consequences for your actions. You can eat like a pig without the fear of compromising your health; you can drink like a fish without being saddled with a hangover. What a deal! But it isn’t long before Connors tires of the endless cycle of self-indulgence.
His second approach comes with the realization that, while the day never changes, he can spend the day changing himself. He starts taking piano lessons, masters ice sculpture, memorizes poetry, and learns a new language. But ultimately he finds that self-improvement—although better than self-indulgence—is still unfulfilling.
His final approach is to use the day to help others. After all, he already knows what the day holds in store. Thus, he saves a man from choking at a restaurant, he catches a young boy falling from a tree, and he intervenes with a couple contemplating the breakup of their engagement. In short, he begins serving others instead of merely serving himself—and it is only then that he wakes up one morning to discover that, finally, it is the next day, February 3rd!
It’s a wonderful movie—filled with humor and poignancy. But I think it also has something to teach us about living “one day at a time.” In the Greek language there are two words for time—chronos and kairos. Chronos has to do with clocks, calendars, schedules, and appointments. Kairos, on the other hand, has more to do with living in the present, and enjoying each moment, and celebrating what we have been given, right here and now.
By and large, when the Bible speaks of time, it is referring to karios; and in a sense, when Phil Connors is forced to endure Groundhog Day, over and over again, he is learning the same truth—namely, that there is a difference between counting each moment and making those moments count!
When he wakes up the next morning, he is surprised to learn that it is Groundhog Day all over again! Confused, he somehow manages to endure the day one more time—only to discover that the following morning it’s the same thing, and the day after that. It’s as if he is stuck in a time warp, where every day is February 2nd!
Eventually, Connors decides that he might be able to use this anomaly to his advantage. After all, if there is literally no tomorrow, then you can pretty much do whatever you please, because there will never be any consequences for your actions. You can eat like a pig without the fear of compromising your health; you can drink like a fish without being saddled with a hangover. What a deal! But it isn’t long before Connors tires of the endless cycle of self-indulgence.
His second approach comes with the realization that, while the day never changes, he can spend the day changing himself. He starts taking piano lessons, masters ice sculpture, memorizes poetry, and learns a new language. But ultimately he finds that self-improvement—although better than self-indulgence—is still unfulfilling.
His final approach is to use the day to help others. After all, he already knows what the day holds in store. Thus, he saves a man from choking at a restaurant, he catches a young boy falling from a tree, and he intervenes with a couple contemplating the breakup of their engagement. In short, he begins serving others instead of merely serving himself—and it is only then that he wakes up one morning to discover that, finally, it is the next day, February 3rd!
It’s a wonderful movie—filled with humor and poignancy. But I think it also has something to teach us about living “one day at a time.” In the Greek language there are two words for time—chronos and kairos. Chronos has to do with clocks, calendars, schedules, and appointments. Kairos, on the other hand, has more to do with living in the present, and enjoying each moment, and celebrating what we have been given, right here and now.
By and large, when the Bible speaks of time, it is referring to karios; and in a sense, when Phil Connors is forced to endure Groundhog Day, over and over again, he is learning the same truth—namely, that there is a difference between counting each moment and making those moments count!
posted by Dr. Robert Crilley at
5:02 PM
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