Life is Boring

I recently flew to Charleston and then to Charlotte a few weeks later. All four flights were excellent. The takeoffs were thrilling surges in power that thrust us into the atmosphere. The landings were deft, skilled approaches that touched down gently and braked to a slow roll.

Honestly, isn’t that what we want when we fly? No issues, no problem, no turbulence in the middle. When you are 30,000 feet in the air, you don’t want to hear, “This is your captain speaking, we have a situation we are dealing with…” You want a flight where your most important question is, do I read, sleep, or listen to music?

Yet, that isn’t the case in our daily lives on the ground. I have noticed that we don’t do “day-to-day” life very well. As a pastor, I have witnessed some of the most incredible highs in a person’s life. I have been a part of celebrating births, weddings, anniversaries, new jobs, travel plans, and overcoming life’s challenges like cancer, sickness, and reconciling relationships. I have also been part of some tremendously tough challenges. I have been in the room for loss of jobs, opportunities, marriages, finances, relationships, and death.

Both the valley and the mountain top bring so much energy to them. When we are not in one of these extreme places, how do we do with the day-to-day? We get up, do our thing and go to sleep. If we do that enough without a spike, it becomes monotonous…life becomes boring. There is something in all of us that gets restless. We will feel like we need “to do something.” Change our routine; look for different results. We might take the next step and change it up.

Or, we break things. We purposefully destroy what is expected and acceptable by creating our own chaos. We don’t break to bring good; we break for the negative, to feel something. The question “What if I do this…” becomes a catalyst for actions you would not think of taking before. You poke the bear to see if it will wake up. You see how close you can get to the temptation or ill-advised behavior without affecting you. Eventually, you found out that you broke something good for yourself.

The key to avoiding “boredom” in daily life is to avoid getting bored. If you are continually growing and taking new ground, it is hard to feel like life is routine. Now, don’t get me wrong. I like my routines. I am a creature of habit. But, I am curious; I’m an avid learner and enjoy taking on new challenges. I hardly ever feel bored. There is always a book to read, skill to develop, language or culture to understand, and of course, there are people.

People make life exciting and challenging. In the last ten days, I have seen some stuff. I listened to someone share the keys to lifelong marriage and, not too long after, sat in tears while hearing about a failed marriage. I saw someone almost hit a hole in one while another almost hit a house with his tee shot. I watched a team of five-year-olds “play” soccer and cheered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as they won their second Super Bowl. I watched a small group of men tearfully remember a great friend who passed away and laughed with my wife when I got caught fishing in a thunderstorm.

All “boring” stuff. My life didn’t change dramatically…but I changed. I grew, stretched, remembered, celebrated, lit up, and shed powerful tears. The “boring” stuff that makes life extraordinary.

I encourage you to take a moment to recognize how great your life is right now. Remember the blessings and the challenges. Recognize the people who make life great and test your patience. Finally, know your source. Where would you be without God who loves you and desires the very best for you?