Chrissy and I have a memory of living in Honduras when Zach and Austin were toddlers. I recall one of the favorite games that we played with them, and it was very simple. It consisted of stacking up a set of nesting cups of different colors or maybe some blocks. Sometimes, I made a tall tower, sometimes not, but that wasn’t the point of the game (Jenga hadn’t been invented yet). After I had stacked a few blocks or cups, one or both of the boys would shriek and knock down the tower. That was it, besides the ensuing maniacal laughter. Game over – And I don’t suppose we ever paused to ask who won the game. The point of the game, of course, was seen in the next move when one or both of the boys would say, “Again!” This game is now multi-generational as I’ve introduced it to my grandchildren.
If I were going to give this game a name, I would call it ‘Semper Incipe’. This is a phrase that means something like ‘always beginning’. Thomas à Kempis uses it in his Christian devotional, The Imitation of Christ. Here are some excerpts regarding ‘always beginning’:
We should renew our purpose daily, and we should stir up ourselves to fresh enthusiasm, as though this were the first day of our conversion. And we should say, “Help me, Lord Jesus, so that I may persevere in my good purpose and in your holy service to my life’s end.”
We need to begin afresh like young novices to be taught in the way of the good life; it is to be hoped that then, the means might be found for the future alteration of our lives and for spiritual growth.
The salvation we receive in Christ, the forgiveness of sins, and the removal of all condemnation is a free gift of God. It is received by faith and made possible through His grace shown in the death of Jesus on the cross (Is. 53:5, 6; Rom. 5:1, 2; 8:1, 2; Eph. 1:7, 8). And yet, after we have been born again (Jn. 3:3), we will experience growth in Christ, leading to completeness and maturity in Christ. But learning what it looks like to be one of God’s children often feels like stacking up blocks and somehow learning not to knock them down. This requires patience, no?
Therefore patience, which always begins again, is a prerequisite if something is to be done. In “The Imitation of Christ” we find the phrase “Semper incipe!” … At first sight, it is a paradox, for a beginning is a beginning and then we go on. But that is true only in mechanical matters. In actual life, beginning is an element that must operate constantly. Nothing goes on if it does not at the same time begin. So he who wishes to advance must always begin again.
– Romano Guardini, Learning the Virtues that Lead You to God
So, what is God the Father really like with His children? Is He mechanical or is He relational, which requires much more patience? Perhaps the early revelation of His ways in Genesis might give us a clue:
“As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night will never cease.”Genesis 8:22
Do you see the ‘semper incipe’ in that verse? Jeremiah tells us, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!” (Lam. 3:22, 23). God is unchanging, and yet He is always beginning in His love toward us. We are often changing, yet He invites us to always begin again in our love toward Him. Semper incipe!
Darrin King
Darrin is one of our Elders and is also a New Testament and Intercultural Studies professor at Ozark Christian College.
Darrin is pictured here (center) with his wife, Chrissy, and their children and grandchildren.
