How to Avoid Boredom
Last May one of the most boring stretches of road I’ve ever been on gave a lesson. Jerry and I left Meridian, Idaho, about 8 in the morning, fleeing the sun on I-84. Near Ontario, Oregon, we split, he continuing west on Highway 20 to his home near Salem, me turning south on Highway 395 to my Temecula abode. To be brief, much of 395 in that part of Oregon consists of boring brush. Blah scenery. Mostly straight roads. The bike didn’t match my previous Goldwing for wind protection at 80, so music wasn’t an option. I did outline some Unconventional posts in my mind to write down that evening, like this one. But I got bored and tired and a bit sleepy.
Then I saw a sign for Poverty Basin a few miles ahead…but instead of the hoped for gas station with cold drinks, I saw just a small dirt road heading west. But I pulled onto the dirt, walked around and stretched to bring back some ability to focus before returning to boredom. About the time tiredness resurrected, I entered a gorgeous 20-mile valley with lakes and a river and curves…blessed curves! That got me to Lakeview, my stop for the night in a clean motel, one needing some upkeep outside. Then, this lesson arrived.
The key to safe rides on a bike, through life, or with Jesus: avoid boredom. Stay active and engaged in the world around us. In thinking about this topic, an old saying came to mind, which came from The Living Bible’s paraphrase, “Idle hands are the devil's workshop.” Some time back soft porn caught me, and recovery groups use the acronym HALT to describe vulnerability for any sin: Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired. For me the greatest vulnerability comes from boredom, like I experienced on that blah Oregon road.
The apostles faced that, after Jesus’ resurrection but before his ascension and Pentecost, he said, “they were on no account to leave Jerusalem but ‘must wait for what the Father promised: the promise you heard from me. John baptized in water; you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit. And soon’” (Acts 1:4-5). But with nothing to do but wait, it seems they got bored, and not only left Jerusalem, but returned to Galilee. Peter, again, took the lead, “’I’m going out to fish,’…and they said, ‘We’ll go with you.’ So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing” (John 21:3).
Boredom leads to disobedience. Sleepiness. Inactivity. But boredom can create motivation—to find healthy activity, maybe prayer. To fill your life with beauty and variety to keep us attentive. To fill our minds with God thoughts, to take on new challenges. I suppose the apostles’ boredom disappeared on Pentecost, with a mission that captivated them. Yes, we can be too busy, but let’s not be too inactive either.
Kick Starting the Application
Does HALT or boredom increase your vulnerability? Which hits you the most? How can you craft a strategy for a healthy level of interactivity with life?