All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:8-9, NIV)
Using his car to do donuts, a 17-year-old male destroyed a green in Florida and caused approximately $160,000 in damage. With the vandalism caught on video, this high school student confessed he committed the crime because he was bored.
In our internet-driven, social media, digital entertainment, and AI culture, the developing brains of our younger generations are experiencing a constant state of overstimulation. There is a decline in resilience to boredom.
For those of us more seasoned in our years, we, too, are not immune to the unease of boredom. After decades of life moving like a high-speed train with work, raising families, or fill in the blank, the enchantment of slowing down might lead to feelings of loss of purpose and boredom.
This is true spiritually as well. Spiritual boredom can slink its way into our lives like a slow-boiling pot of water. When our eyes glaze over what we are reading, our ears stop listening, and our spirit feels listless, we are on the path to spiritual boredom.
We put on a good façade, but weariness settles in until it numbs our hearts, and we realize we are just “checking off the list” our time with God every day.
There can be benefits to boredom, even spiritual boredom. It can foster a push in creativity, motivate to create new goals and pursue new experiences, and improve mental health as the brain gets a break from overstimulation.
Since we are all vulnerable to spiritual boredom, here are some ideas on how to be proactive against it.
Change the rhythm of what you have been doing while keeping your focus on the Lord. Go for a walk with God. Listen to praise music and dance (yes, that’s an uncomfortable one for me). Consume less and be more. Small shifts can turn into big gains.
Spiritual connection with God is not about performance; it’s about being in his presence. Set aside your checklist and sit quietly. Experience the Lord’s presence within your breath. Maybe one scripture verse is enough instead of accomplishing “your” plan.
Read something through the eyes of your imagination. When we are familiar with scripture passages, we tend to scan over the words. Enter a book in the Bible you haven’t read in a while. Read out loud. Imagine you are part of the story, not outside of it.
Ecclesiastes explores what life without God looks like and concludes that life is ultimately meaningless and boring. But with the advent of Christ, spiritual boredom can serve as a gateway for our hearts to reimagine that a life connected with God offers something new every day.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for helping me today to lean into my spiritual boredom. Open my eyes and ears to something new today.