1. You aren't actually bored, you are BORING. I still remember my 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Simms, saying, "A truly intelligent person is never bored. There is so much interesting stuff in this world to explore. Boring people are the only ones who get bored."
2. You count on external things to determine your life. Sitting around waiting for someone else to make you happy is a recipe for boredom. Exciting people create their lives; bored people wait for someone else to create their lives.
3. Your life is all about YOU. "No package is so small as a man who is wrapped up in himself." How true. I remember an old song that taught us the opposite: "Jesus and Others and You, what a wonderful way to spell JOY." Put yourself 3rd, and you will find true joy. Jesus, Others, THEN you.
4. You feel entitled. Nothing creates boredom in life more than a feeling of entitlement. If you feel that you deserve happiness, or deserve attention, or a large paycheck, a large house, or whatever else, you will be frightfully bored all the time. The opposite of entitlement is gratitude. People who feel entitled to things are bored; people who feel gratitude are rarely ever bored.
5. You don't risk. Many people are bored because they are afraid to step out where it is uncomfortable. People who don't risk don't have friends, don't actualize their potential, don't get married, and ultimately never commit to Christ because all of those things involve some amount of risk. Ask yourself, "If your life was a movie, would anyone want to watch it?"
6. You haven't pursued a vision. A vision for life is simply your picture of the future that arouses a passion within you. Without a clear sense of where you are going, what you are striving for, and what you hope to accomplish, you will be very bored indeed.
7. You have squelched your natural curiosity and creativity. All children are born with curiosity and creativity. The increasing prevalence of technology- video games especially- has shoved creativity out of the mind as more and more children engage in pre-packaged activities with determined outcomes instead of being free to create and explore. Turn off the technology and go experience the real world.
8. You have failed to truly connect with other human beings. The older I get, the more I see that humans are by nature social creatures with a built-in need to connect with others. Having 900 friends on Facebook is no match for having one true friend in real life. However, connection takes risk, and if you aren't willing to risk, you will never truly connect with others.
9. You miss the beauty of the ordinary. One of the things our children constantly teach us is that just about everything in life can be interesting. I have learned that even dirt can be interesting- one of my kids loves to simply get her hands into some dirt and play around in it for hours. If dirt can be interesting, what else in daily life can we find to be fascinated by?
10. You have lost perspective on life. One of the reasons I love mission trips is that I get out of my American context and see the way people in other countries live. I love worshiping God with other believers who speak a different language. I love staying in homes where there is no electricity and no running water. Even more than that, I love seeing the joy in the people that have a thousand times less than I do. It truly is a shame that the most blessed people on the face of the earth constantly claim to be bored all the time. Spending time in a different context forces you to change your perspective, thereby eliminating boredom.
John 10:10- "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full."
2. You count on external things to determine your life. Sitting around waiting for someone else to make you happy is a recipe for boredom. Exciting people create their lives; bored people wait for someone else to create their lives.
3. Your life is all about YOU. "No package is so small as a man who is wrapped up in himself." How true. I remember an old song that taught us the opposite: "Jesus and Others and You, what a wonderful way to spell JOY." Put yourself 3rd, and you will find true joy. Jesus, Others, THEN you.
4. You feel entitled. Nothing creates boredom in life more than a feeling of entitlement. If you feel that you deserve happiness, or deserve attention, or a large paycheck, a large house, or whatever else, you will be frightfully bored all the time. The opposite of entitlement is gratitude. People who feel entitled to things are bored; people who feel gratitude are rarely ever bored.
5. You don't risk. Many people are bored because they are afraid to step out where it is uncomfortable. People who don't risk don't have friends, don't actualize their potential, don't get married, and ultimately never commit to Christ because all of those things involve some amount of risk. Ask yourself, "If your life was a movie, would anyone want to watch it?"
6. You haven't pursued a vision. A vision for life is simply your picture of the future that arouses a passion within you. Without a clear sense of where you are going, what you are striving for, and what you hope to accomplish, you will be very bored indeed.
7. You have squelched your natural curiosity and creativity. All children are born with curiosity and creativity. The increasing prevalence of technology- video games especially- has shoved creativity out of the mind as more and more children engage in pre-packaged activities with determined outcomes instead of being free to create and explore. Turn off the technology and go experience the real world.
8. You have failed to truly connect with other human beings. The older I get, the more I see that humans are by nature social creatures with a built-in need to connect with others. Having 900 friends on Facebook is no match for having one true friend in real life. However, connection takes risk, and if you aren't willing to risk, you will never truly connect with others.
9. You miss the beauty of the ordinary. One of the things our children constantly teach us is that just about everything in life can be interesting. I have learned that even dirt can be interesting- one of my kids loves to simply get her hands into some dirt and play around in it for hours. If dirt can be interesting, what else in daily life can we find to be fascinated by?
10. You have lost perspective on life. One of the reasons I love mission trips is that I get out of my American context and see the way people in other countries live. I love worshiping God with other believers who speak a different language. I love staying in homes where there is no electricity and no running water. Even more than that, I love seeing the joy in the people that have a thousand times less than I do. It truly is a shame that the most blessed people on the face of the earth constantly claim to be bored all the time. Spending time in a different context forces you to change your perspective, thereby eliminating boredom.
John 10:10- "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full."
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