The Gift of Repetition
Sometimes, I tell people, “I’m not the son of a prophet, but I am the son of a painter.” My dad was a painter and was very good at it for many years. I was not. One thing my dad taught me when painting is to “blend the paint.” We blend the paint using the same color and overlapping the paint with layering strokes to create a seamless, beautiful finish. I’m telling you about blending the same paint color because that’s the principle I use in communicating and leading. I pull thoughts from one week and share them again to blend one thought with the next, hoping to offer others a clear, helpful, and inspirational message. Repetition is the price of wisdom — what we revisit, we remember; what we remember, we can live consistently.
This way of shepherding, leading, and serving others is one way that I seek to embody Jesus’s words in Matthew 7:24-27. In this passage, Jesus tells the story of two people. The one who builds their life on the sand is foolish. The other who builds their life on the rock is wise. The foolish and wise builders hear the exact words and face the same circumstances, but the difference is what they do with what they hear. The wise builder acts upon the words and puts them into practice; the foolish person does not. Modern neuroscience reminds us that our brain can experience renewal. From a psychological and neurological viewpoint, repetition creates new neural pathways. When we repeatedly expose ourselves to truth, we rewire our brains, changing our internal operating system so that truth becomes our default instead of lies, fear, shame, or timidity. The call “to remember” fills the Bible (Deuteronomy 6, Psalms 78 and 103, 2 Peter 1). We know our hearts are prone to wander, forget, and replace truth with lies. Today, I talked to a dear sister in Christ who has followed Jesus for decades. In her honest assessment of how she’s doing, she noted, “The Lord has been reminding me of things that I already knew and have lost sight of.” I hope that each of us will take time to heed the words of Jesus in Matthew 7, act upon His words and truths, and “blend truth upon truth” like “blending paint” because repetition is the price of wisdom — what we revisit, we remember; what we remember, we can live consistently.
Furthermore, let me offer one more important, valuable nugget. Truth is not just information; it’s relational. Jesus defines himself as The Truth. We don’t have a relationship with a set of objective statements. We have a relationship with a man who fully embodies statements of truth because they express His very being. Truth needs to be experienced relationally (the Bible calls this hesed), not just intellectually. In doing so, truth reshapes our identity, heals our deep wounds, and empowers us to be “all in” with God and His mission.
Repetition is the price of wisdom, as it reinforces truth over time, much like blending paint requires layering to create a seamless unified finish; both processes reveal that the steady, consistent application of truth leads to transformation and empowerment.
The Lord and His peace be upon you!