Question 1

Why do I get bored? Doesn’t being a Christian sound boring to unbelievers?

Accepted Answer

Hebrews 6:11-12Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.Being a Christian can seem boring to many: “Don’t do this; you can’t do that.” But those who grasp what the Christian life is all about find it full and exciting. When you realize that almighty God wants to work through you to accomplish his work in the world, you will be amazed to discover the grand purpose God has in store for you. Focus on using and developing your God-given gifts, and remember the eternal rewards God promises to believers, and your life will feel ever more meaningful. If you become bored in your Christian life, ask yourself: Am I making myself available to God and asking him to pour his blessings through me to others?You will become most bored when you lose hope that God will fulfill his purposes for you. It is hope that enables you to press on even when life gets difficult and tedious.1 Timothy 4:13-16Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them. Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.There are two approaches to a challenge that are sure to produce eventual boredom: aiming at nothing and aiming at perfection. The apostle Paul instructed Timothy instead to aim at progress as he engaged fully in the tasks God set before him. Making progress may involve great success one day and not much the next, but even some real progress will be noticed by others. Paul’s final words are a significant antidote to boredom: Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of others. The way that leads to eternal life is not boring.

Question 2

What are signs of boredom?

Accepted Answer

Proverbs 26:14As a door swings back and forth on its hinges, so the lazy person turns over in bed.A door is often in motion, but it goes nowhere. Restless boredom may reveal a lack of direction or purpose.Galatians 6:9Let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.Fatigue is simply a physical cue that rest is necessary after meaningful work, but a constant lack of motivation can signal a lack of purpose and direction. Wise people realize they will get tired while doing good, but they refuse to tire of doing good.Ecclesiastes 2:23Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.Solomon’s words expose the tragedy of “workaholism”—a mind-numbing and spirit-exhausting devotion to a constant treadmill of work. Workaholics assume that enough work will lead to purpose, satisfaction, and fulfillment, but these are all objectives that work cannot meet.

Question 3

What eliminates boredom?

Accepted Answer

Romans 5:11Now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.When we carry out all of life’s pursuits under God’s direction and within our relationship with Jesus Christ, the possibilities of boredom are minimized. Our scattered priorities become less important, and God’s purposes take center stage.Romans 8:28We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.Boredom may be a sign of cynicism. We expected a clear road ahead, but constant disappointment and discouragement have left us feeling empty. Yet when we love God and seek to manifest that love to others, God weaves even the stumbles and setbacks into a pattern of good in our lives.Ephesians 5:1-2Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do. . . . Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.Boredom diminishes when you train yourself to live out Christ’s example. Ask God to do his work in and through you—his purposes are never boring!

Question 4

How do I keep faithfulness in marriage from being boring?

Accepted Answer

Genesis 2:22-25Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. “At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’” This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.Recognizing God’s role in designing marriage can be a source of continual wonder and delight. Faithfulness in marriage involves a lifelong practice of “leaving” other relationships as secondary, “joining” or moving toward one’s spouse, and engaging in actions (like sex and time together) that “unite” the two of you together. Failing to intentionally engage in all the aspects of marriage can lead to boredom.Proverbs 5:18-19Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth. . . . May you always be captivated by her love.God does not intend faithfulness in marriage to be boring. Real happiness comes when we commit ourselves to finding pleasure in the relationship God has given us. These words encourage a young man to experience the fullness of his wife’s blessings, which may take the form of trust, encouragement, and companionship. Many men will need to lower their guards of fear, insecurity, or shame to receive everything God intends to give them through their wives. Further, these words instruct a husband to take joy in his wife. She is made in the image of God and has agreed to be one with you for life—don’t lose the wonder of this incredible relationship!Ephesians 5:22-28For wives, this means submit your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything. For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself.Both partners in marriage are assigned daunting roles, and when each is focused on their part, the atmosphere in the relationship is anything but boring. The wife takes on the challenge of submission, which doesn’t mean that she suppresses her will, wishes, or ideas, but rather that she will not ordinarily insist on her way when there is a clash of ideas. The husband is called to love his wife and seek her good even when it may cost him everything. This calls him to think selflessly, to consider what is best for his wife, and to honor and care for her just as he would care for himself.

Question 5

Isn’t a sinful way of life more exciting?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 1:1-3Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.There are plenty of enticements to sin: the whispers from those who actively resist God’s ways, the companionship of those intent on disobeying God, and the mockery of those who disdain God and God’s followers. But even the most exciting sin leads to boredom. It promises excitement but delivers deadness. How much better to experience the lifelong and eternal excitement of discovering God’s plans for us through all the seasons of our lives!Proverbs 14:14Backsliders get what they deserve; good people receive their reward.The initial comfort or excitement of backsliding is soon replaced with boredom and regrets, but those who genuinely pursue God find life infinitely fascinating. With God it is hard to get bored, for his reach is as vast as the universe and as broad as eternity.Jeremiah 2:25When will you stop running? When will you stop panting after other gods? But you say, “Save your breath. I’m in love with these foreign gods, and I can’t stop loving them now!”Chasing other gods is a tiring business. One pursuit after another ends with disappointment and dissatisfaction. Sin has a debilitating sameness at its core; only the clothing and trappings change. God alone truly satisfies.

Question 6

I’m serving God, but I still feel bored. What should I do?

Accepted Answer

Galatians 6:9Let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.If serving God becomes boring, then you may need to remind yourself of God’s promises to those who persevere in doing good. While self-centered service is only going to make you more bored, it’s not wrong to look forward to the blessings that God has in store for you! Receive God’s promises as a gracious gift he gives you to help motivate a lifetime of doing good.