“Only Boring People Get Bored"

Or so said my driver’s education teacher sophomore year of high school. Somehow, along with the progressive “10 and 2” steering wheel handling methodology, this idea has stuck with me for a decade now. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Generally speaking, boredom can be circumvented, but willingness and creativity on the part of the individual are the required ingredients.

We all can plow right through boredom by creating or unearthing interesting events, circumstances, thoughts, conversations, etc. when none are conveniently at hand. You choose to either passively accept boredom or actively change it. My choice reflects something about me. It reflects my own self concept, feelings of self efficacy, as well as the way I interact with the world. Do I expect entertainment, change, novelty, growth, and other “newness” to simply arrive on my lap? Or, conversely, am I a force to be reckoned with that seeks and discovers those things among the seemingly commonplace? As members of the Information Age, replacing boredom with learning and discovery can be as easy as a few clicks of a mouse and as time consuming as saying your ABCs.

So recently when the word “boring” came out of my mouth as a descriptor of my spiritual life in this season, red flags of self efficacy waved across my mind. The problem is not found extrinsically with our very adventurous and creative God, as I like to selfishly assume, but with me. Only boring people get bored. Only boring people get bored living as children of a beautiful and mysterious Father.

I’ve developed some theories on when this boredom snuck in and via what means, but the point is that only a boring person would stop there. “Behold, I make all things new,” God says. There are ebbs and flows of activity and quiet contentment, but walking with God was never meant to be boring. Heeding the advice of my husband, I’ve resolved to battle the boredom by adding some risk and diversity to my spiritual rhythms.


The most immediate ideas revolved around prayer:


1) Embarking on prayer walks to keep my mind alert and my heart turned toward others


2) Convening with neighbors at Richmond Hill to pray for this city


Some other ideas include:


1) Continuing the discipline of sacrifice I observed during Lent by giving up an activity, food, or object I enjoy in order to constantly remember that “God so loved the world that he gave…”


2) Inviting my neighbors over in an effort to better know them


3) Reserving a precious free spring Saturday to serve people I don’t know- building a home, serving food, delivering a care package


That’s plenty of boredom-busting ideas for now, unless you are willing to comment with some other suggestions. Only boring people get bored, so allez-viens!