God Does Not Repeat Himself

God, who is unique beyond unique, never repeats Himself. Consider examples from nature, examples from history, and examples from the supernatural (by supernatural I refer to anything beyond nature, eg. relationships, etc.). Also consider what Christian authors have had to say, and what the Word of God says.

Take a look at snowflakes. Probably the most often cited example of nature expressing uniqueness. We all remember in elementary school, making snowflakes in the winter by folding the paper and cutting to make perfectly symmetrical little snowflakes, each one different from the next. But also consider other examples of uniqueness expressed in nature. No two horses have the exact same markings. Growing up with horses, I remember going out with my dad to take pictures of the weanlings for registration. Each horse is identified by the markings on their face and legs. Also consider in nature, the fact that even identical twins, who share the same genetic code, are markedly different. In nature, no two things are ever created the same. God has sown uniqueness into His creation.

Often people say that history repeats itself. Does it? Emphatically, NO! History has never repeated itself. Sure, themes come and go, trends, attitudes, philosophies ebb and flow, but the world is always changing. I don't mean to say that the world is always improving, or that the world is sinking deeper into depravity. No two governments have ever been the same. They can even have the very same constitution, even the same people, but every moment, history is different from what came before and what will come after. God has made time and history itself a testament to uniqueness.

Just as nature and history testify to God's uniqueness, so do relationships. Every friendship is different. There may be common threads or themes, but each and every pair of friends is different. Each of us has a very unique relationship to God. Some of us reject Him altogether, but even then it has its own unique nature. Every marriage is different. Why do you think there are so many books about marriage, yet not one of them really tells you what your marriage will be like? I'm not married, but I know people who are. And I see that my parents' marriage is different from their parents' marriages, and etc. on through the ages. This does not mean that we do not learn from other relationships about what generally yields good results, and what is generally a bad idea.

Now, please don't take my word for it. CS Lewis writes in his amazing work, Perelandra,

“Never did He make two things the same; never did He utter one word twice. After earths, not better earths but beasts; after beasts, not better beasts, but spirits. After a falling, not a recovery but a new creation. Out of the new creation, not a third but the mode of change itself is changed for ever. Blessed is He!”

The very last part refers to Lewis’ fictional scenario, but if you read Perelandra, you will see how true it is.

The Word of God also testifies to this concept of uniqueness. To see this, look first at Genesis. God creates the world. He creates it such that people are living in a garden with Him. This image is of pristine nature, nothing wrought or made by human hands, only the plants and the animals. No clothes, no house, no bed to speak of. Now look at Revelation 21:1-5a:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”

This is the most concrete example of making things new. Not only is the New Jerusalem a city rather than a garden, it is a city different from any city that came before it. We are no longer naked, but clothed in white robes. Now, whether these images are symbolic or are describing precisely what happened and what will happen, it doesn’t matter. God makes everything new. There are so many examples in scripture of how God does not repeat Himself, I don’t feel the need to keep listing them.

The truth is, God does not repeat Himself, ever. If we look too closely at other people's lives to find out how things are supposed to look, we will miss God’s knock on our door. My story is my own, and your story is your own. You cannot expect God to move in your life the same way He moved in mine, nor can you even expect Him to move the same way He moved in your life before.

22 Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,
 for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning,
 great is your faithfulness.
– Lamentations 3:22-23