 Spiritual: September 07, 2022 Issue [#11552] |
This week: Repetition Edited by: Jeff  
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"Only a real risk tests the reality of a belief."
-- C.S. Lewis
About The Editor: Greetings! My name is Jeff and I'm one of your regular editors for the official Spiritual Newsletter! I've been a member of Writing.com since 2003, and have edited more than 350 newsletters across the site during that time. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me via email or the handy feedback field at the bottom of this newsletter! 
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Repetition
In the world of advertising, there's something called the Marketing Rule of 7, which basically says that a prospective customer, client, etc. needs to hear a message seven times on average before they'll take action. That's why so many mailing lists practically spam you with calls to action, or why you see a thousand campaign ads and signs during an election year.
Scientific research shows that when humans experience a repeated message (depending on the context of course), it can have the effect of deeply ingraining the message, identifying with the message or messenger, and even leading us to be more inclined to believe it's true.
Repetition is also what develops habits. Depending on the habit in question and how much of a drastic change it is from the practitioner's baseline, according to Healthline, it can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days for something to become a habit, and an average of approximately 66 days before something becomes automatic. Habits are often thought of in terms of diet, fitness, avoiding negative behaviors, and even things like having a more positive attitude. They also apply to spiritual disciplines.
Some people make a habit of reading the Bible (or their other spiritual/religious text of choice) every day. When reading the text, some choose to read the same passages over and over again (a form of repetition) while others read the whole thing then start over again (also a form of repetition). Many people read daily devotionals or participate in related activities where the same text is being repeated and reinforced in different ways. At religious services, that text is often reinforced again in the form of a message or sermon.
One of the practices I've started doing lately (although I'm not 66 sequential days in yet, so unfortunately it's not a habit  ), is listening to the Sunday message from our church a second time during the week. Thanks to modern technology, I have the option of listening to it in podcast form, watching it in video form, or even referring back to the notes that I took on Sunday while listening to the message the first time. I'm honestly amazed at the additional perspective and appreciation I have for the message when I'm hearing it a second time. I almost always get something new out of it. I'm also in the midst of a multi-year effort to read a number of different translations of the Bible. Each one has a slightly interpretation of the text, and it's been fascinating exploration to see how the same passage is interpreted in slightly different ways.
If there's something in your spiritual life that you're looking to lean into more, consider ways you can focus on repetition to help make it more of a habit. Listen to sermons more than once. Read the same passages (or the whole book!) more than once. Find ways of examining the same material in different contexts: independent study, journaling, group conversation, etc.
Repetition is one of the most surefire ways of refining something into a habitual practice. To the extent that you want to grow in your spiritual disciplines (whatever they may be), consider finding a way to work repetition into your daily practice so that you can grow and develop your habits.
Until next time,
Jeff
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EXCERPT: Frustrated from watching the news and the constant daggers tossed between political parties, those who want the country opened and those who fear opening would cause more deaths. I had no plan, only depression as the front door slammed. I walked for a dozen blocks or more until I found a degree of comfort sitting on the bench overlooking a baseball field.
EXCERPT: It was not an every day when you get to see a giant purple cloud float past you, so when one did, I gasped, rubbed my eyes and did a double take. Was I hallucinating? What even was that thing? My boyfriend who was sitting beside me, craned his head over to look at whatever that plastered a dumbfounded expression on my face. “Are you alright?” He sounded concerned.
EXCERPT: So one day a pig was in the woods. She walked and walked. Suddenly down from a tree of wild pomegranates came an ape.
She stared at him and he stared at her. He was muscular and well built. She admired him.
EXCERPT: My hip hurts today. I overdid it and now I pay the price. I felt better and that made me want to push myself to experience what it was like to feel better. That was a mistake. Now I am faced with a day to rest and learn what it means to take care of myself. It is so much easier to be a human doing than a human being.
EXCERPT: Thank God for NEVER EVER Leaving ME with an Empty Glass!
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