“If you’re bored, I’ll find something for you to do.”

My mom took this one step further. When one of us girls would say we were bored, she’d say, “If you’re bored, you’re boring.” To be honest, most of the time I was bored, I didn’t really care if someone thought I was boring!

Need some ideas of what to do when you’re bored? Sort your sock drawer. Dust your silk flowers. Organize your photos. But the best thing I can recommend?

Do something for someone else!

There seems to be a link between boredom and dissatisfaction.

Do you see the connection? Consider examples from your own experiences.

Just how dissatisfied are you…really? Enough to sort your sock drawer, dust your silk flowers, or organize your photos? Not usually. It’s a different kind of dissatisfaction. It’s not that we don’t want to do those things (although we probably don’t), but we probably won’t find a deep satisfaction in them. It’s almost as if we’re sitting in a pool of self-pity. We want to focus on something.

Some of us get accustomed to being lazy, relying on someone else to provide a focus for us. We want to be entertained. But when we take responsibility for our own boredom party, we’ll seek something purposeful.

Think of a few things you could do to get you out of your boredom. I recommend you qualify your ideas with two qualities. Be sure it’s purposeful and concise.

          Purposeful. Be sure it’s not something just to “pass the time.” Avoid wasting more time and energy. Make choices and actions significant.

          Concise. Be sure it’s not a long-term commitment. You simply need to move away from being self-focused, which doesn’t need to involve much time.

And remember, sometimes being bored can be amidst busyness. It’s not just about having nothing to do. It’s also about being bored with what you have to do.

Be mindful of moments this week that feel a bit boring to you. Find a purposeful, concise way to step out of your boredom to get your mind off yourself and serve someone else.

Each of you has received a gift to use to serve others. Be good servants of God’s various gifts of grace. 1 Peter 4:10