The Antidote To Boredom

‘godliness with contentment is great gain.’ (1 Timothy 6:6 NIV)

I thought I’d write something about boredom. Trouble is it can seem boring to read something about boredom, but give it a go. Boredom is a subtle, well-disguised enemy. Because of boredom:

• People raid the fridge and comfort eat;
• Teenagers click their heels on street corners and end up getting into trouble;
• Husbands or wives give up on their marriages and betray trust;
• Employees march out of their jobs; and
• Christians leave the church they are a part of, or even worse split it by taking others with them.

Boredom fuels the fantasy that the grass is greener somewhere else, perhaps with someone else. Boredom can lead to us becoming jealous of others who live their lives at a greater speed, have more gadgets, more toys and more money. But is the answer to boredom simply having more ‘things’? Children today have access to hundreds of TV stations and computer games. The internet has made the world their oyster, and yet how often do parents hear the cry, ‘I’m bored’?

Living in the West during the 21st century provides us with so many ‘things’ and opportunities that our grandparents didn’t have a hundred years ago, and are simply not available to many in certain parts of the world. And yet how often do we sit at our PC’s with our cups of coffee, with the world at our finger tips and think ‘I’m bored’?

Boredom robs us of being content with our life, and perhaps therein lays the solution to the problem. If we were more content we would be less bored.

In Philippians 4:11-12 Paul says,

‘I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want’.

What is the secret of being content in whatever circumstance we find ourselves? Paul says in verse 13, ‘I can do all this…[to be content in every situation]…through him who gives me strength’. To which the writer of Hebrews adds, ‘Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews13:5).

So when boredom strikes and we are itching for something more or different, ask Jesus for the strength to be content and hold on to the promise that God will always be with us whatever our circumstances.

Having God with us and strengthening us means life never need be boring. We can be content with him for he is the only one who will truly satisfy. Recognising that is great gain.

Have a content week,

Pastor Barry