One evening not too long ago, my son announced he was bored. You remember what that was like, to be ten and have nothing to do. It wasn't that there was 'nothing' to do, he just didn't want to do any of the 'somethings' that were available. He wasn't being adequately entertained. When we pressed him though, the truth came out. His sisters were busy. He had no audience. He wasn't the center of attention.As adults, we still get bored, but many times we come up with better names for it- We're dissatisfied. Unsettled. Restless.
And the root causes are often the same. We aren't being entertained or we aren't getting enough attention.
So Jon and I and the two older kids talked about how to combat boredom. What could we replace it with? Here's what we came up with-
- Diligence – "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might…" Ecclesiastes 9:10
- Humility – "But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” Romans 9:20
- Gratefulness – Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! Psalm 107:8
- Contentment – "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have." Hebrews 13:5
- Perspective – "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth." Colossians 3:2
How do you fight off boredom?