A quick study of Holland will reveal fields and fields of tulips, vis-a-vie those in the photo. For as far as you can see, thousands upon thousands of white beauties gently swaying in the soft breeze.
However, if you were to turn all the way around, you’d see a different, equally expansive vista of red flowers. Another of blues. And another of yellows. Acres and acres of a multitude of colors and varieties. Plot by plot, row by row, side by side, the sense of beauty and color is enough to take your breath away.
Some sameness can be a good thing. I often eat the same or similar breakfast every morning for the nutritional value and taste it provides. Driving the same make or model of car for years can provide familiarity with the vehicle and its operation. Taking an annual vacation to the same spot for decades nurture a sense of continuity and connection with family and friends alike.
I’m not about to suggest flowers are the same as people. Yet, I wonder just how much we could learn from the bounty of God’s creation that would brighten our lives, encourage us on our journey, or mend and heal so many relationships? What if our idea of security is grounded in an attachment to sameness as a way to avoid the challenges that are sure to ensue when we open our hearts and minds to those things and people we perceive to be different than ourselves?
The more obvious—color adds so much to our life. Whether the brightness of a bloom, the tints and hues of a sunrise or sunset, colors can lift our spirits, bring us peace, or stir a smile with joy at the world around us. What if we were to see people, not the same as us, in a similar light?
As with the seasons, nothing stays the same. Change is inevitable, despite our best attempts to cling to the familiar. Most of us would not choose to live in colorless world, yet as we grow, mature, and evolve intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually, what if we were to see others as more like us than we could have ever imagined?
Sameness can suffocate. Whether a world of all white flowers, years of all the same meals, days of all the same tasks and activities, we would eventually realize life was dull, even boring. Not that we should expect to live in a state of excitement every moment, but that when we allow ourselves to see, taste, touch, smell, or hear all that is available to us, we discover God’s deep love in His provision of goodness and blessings. In that awareness, how could we overlook the diversity of people the Divine may want us to experience?
The sameness that can serve as a barrier to our personal growth and development will almost always cause us to become stale, stuck, or disappointed. Sooner or later, the behaviors, choices, and actions of sameness we thought would ensure a measure of security turn out to be little more than a prescription for a limited bland existence at best, a self-designed prison at worst.
One way to get out of the sameness rut may be to invite God to help you discern what in life could benefit from change. A different route to work? Lunch with someone other than those in your usual circle? A visit to a neighborhood park, museum, or restaurant where the faces will likely be very different than those you usually encounter?
Letting go of our grip on sameness can be scary stuff. I know. I still struggle with being open to people and circumstances that draw me out of my comfort zone. Yet, almost without fail, when I’ve prayed, asked God for direction, and said ‘yes’ to the new and different, my life has been enlivened and enriched.
So then, here’s to all those tulips—and people—whose colors, hues, and shapes add beauty to our journey. Let us savor and appreciate that variety truly is the spice of life.
Do I find myself doing the same things day in, day out? Why?
Do I believe routine has its place while too much stifles creativity and imagination?
What one change might I ask God to help me make today?
