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Are You Bored and Restless?
Sometimes boredom is a signal that we need to heed
Is boredom a bad thing? I had an interesting conversation with a new acquaintance the other day. I asked him what he did for a living and he described his business to me. He had started this business many years ago and it was quite successful. He finished with his brief description of his business and career by saying that he was bored. Then he backtracked and said he didn’t know why he’d said that. He added, “I guess I’d say that I’m content.” With that, he said something about how he felt, as a Christian, that in heaven, we’d have a whole different perspective. At that point, he changed the subject. But I was left thinking about boredom and contentment.
Are they mutually exclusive? Can we be bored with something, but generally content? The Apostle Paul says we should be content “in all circumstances” (Phil 4:12). Does that necessarily mean that we stay in one place, in the same job, with the same routines, etc.? Paul certainly did not; he was on the move, driven by his purpose and vision.
I think what this gentleman was referring to when he said that he thought we’d have a whole new perspective in heaven, and what Paul meant by being “content in all circumstances,” is more a matter of acceptance and being “in the moment.” We are content, knowing that we are…
