Sisyphus was the ruler of Corinth who was condemned to Hades and made to roll a rock up a hill every day, only to helplessly watch it roll down again before he reached the summit.
Some people say their lives are so repetitive and discouraging that it’s like being Sisyphus.
You are not Sisyphus.
I say this confidently because everything difficult, repetitive, even when it fails, changes you. The real punishment of Sisyphus was that his daily toil never changed him. He didn’t learn from it. It didn’t help anyone around him. He was not transformed by the experience.
When people complain their life is a Groundhog Day (referring to the movie) I remind them that the main character was transformed by his experiences. He did not live precisely the same way each day, and became less selfish with every recycle.
Lean into the hard work, each day. When God sends us into repetitive experiences it is with purpose to make us better. When we find ourselves in dark places it is because we’ve been planted in the soil, not buried. Hear the words Tolkien puts in to the mouth of Aragorn: “There is always hope.”
You are not Sisyphus.
