Groundhog Day: What To Do When There's No Escape

When we suffer unimaginable loss or illness, or find ourselves in painful circumstances beyond our control, we have two options:

OPTION ONE:

• We fight. We refuse to accept our circumstance, dig our heals in the dirt and go to war.

If we choose the fight route, we might find ourselves experiencing the phases of grief: shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, testing and acceptance.

We see this play out in the movie, Groundhog Day, where Bill Murray's character, Phil, finds himself going through all the stages of grief when he finds his life has been set to repeat, and there's nothing he can do to change it.

He's stuck. He tries everything to get unstuck.

When Phil first realizes he is trapped, he is first shocked. Then he goes into denial. This can't be happening! He then gets angry and disillusioned. He bargains with God. He thinks if he behaves well enough, then things will change. When they don't, he goes into depression.

Then, he enters the testing phase of self-destruction where he tries to kill himself countless times in an effort to escape his vicious cycle.

Or, we can just skip all those emotional highs and lows and enter straight into OPTION TWO - ACCEPTANCE.

• We accept. We accept there's nothing we can do to change our circumstances, and we rest in knowing if God can do anything good in our lives today, He will. If I can be healed, then I'll be healed. If I can be made rich, I'll be made rich. If God can bring a loving partner across my path, He will. If He can give me another baby, He will. If He can make my dreams come true or grant me a new dream, He will. If He can make something beautiful out of my mess of a life, He will.

The neutrality of this peace enables the soul and the body to heal.

This video is of a man who found himself choosing this path of acceptance. He learned how to walk through an impossible circumstance with joy and grace, and it healed his body faster than doctors could've ever dreamed.

In Groundhog Day, we see Phil, finally, as he accepts his new existence. It's a cruel fate, but it's his fate. And, he can either accept it ,or continue grieving in misery day after day for the rest of his life.

So, he chooses acceptance. Nothing he does matters. It does't matter how much he prays or how good he behaves or how loud his acts of desperation are. Nothing ever changes.

He decides since nothing he does matters in regards to the outcome, he's going to be the most joyful, happy, kind ray of sunshine to ever grace Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania ... even if things never change.

Somewhere in all that the once cynical jerk he once was turns into a good human being.

It's cliche, but it really is the vision in our heads of how things are supposed to be that mess us up.

Instead, maybe we should accept things as they are, and make up our minds that despite our circumstances, we're going to be the happiest, sunniest, most joyful representatives of Christ we can be to the world around us.

If I must be stuck repeating the same day of suffering over and over, let me do it well.

If I must walk through fire, let me walk through it well.

If I must die never understanding why I had to go through this, then let me be found trusting God well.

Pray with me a prayer of alignment that will calm the emotions and open up a path for healing to come:

Dear Jesus, I have not walked out my suffering well.

Some of it was my fault. Some of it wasn't. But, I know You did NOT cause my suffering.

Yet, I have been angry at You about it and wallowed in self-pity.

I have petted every negative emotion.

I have tried doing "good" things to earn my way into Your good graces, in hopes You'd see me and change my circumstances.

I have found myself hopeless when You didn't come to my immediate rescue.

I have felt like no matter what I do, good or bad, nothing ever gets better or changes.

I have tried to bargain with You, hoping today would be the day You'd have mercy on me.

I have tried to self-destruct when I felt ignored by You and lost hope.

I'm still here. Stuck in my perpetual Groundhog Day.

And yet, I choose You.

I choose acceptance.

I choose joy.

I choose to be the happiest person in my community.

I choose to serve You and walk in Your ways ... because I love You, and because You FIRST loved me.

I choose to be a light and a blessing to those around me as much as I am able.

I know I will fail some days when the pain overwhelms me. But, I will persist.

I will not give up on You if you will not give up on me.

If You're able to save me from the temporary pains of this earthly life, I know You will.

If You're not able, then I choose to trust You with my life and future.

Please, forgive me for all the ways I haven't trusted you with my life.

Holy Spirit, please come heal my heart in all the places it's been damaged by the roller coaster of grief and broken dreams.

Help me to see Your Truth as it is for me today.

Help me to be light and love towards Your beloved sons and daughters I meet each day.

If you can make something beautiful out of my circumstances and the mistakes I've made, please do.

Selah