If you are a parent, you have heard that phrase over and over. “I’m bored.” It doesn’t matter that they have toys all over their room and homework to do. They seem to forget all of that, and they don’t know what to do with themselves.

Boredom is expected in a child. But what happens when it is you saying you’re bored? I know, if you are a leader, you are usually saying, “I’ve got too much on my plate to get it all done.” But sometimes, even amid the busyness, boredom sets in. What do you do? One writer said, “Life is not an action movie.” There are times when our routines and activities don’t stir our hearts or our minds. We need to take action.

Fred Smith, a mentor to business and ministry leaders, says boredom is the “dry rot” of the soul. According to Smith, here is how it happens:

“It comes when we feel that what we’re doing isn’t worth the time, nor is it interesting, worthwhile, or challenging. Boredom can be the result of living too efficiently and less effectively.”

That caught my attention. Living too efficiently and less effectively. Systems are great. Routines are valuable. But over time, these can lead to boredom with our activities. This is especially true for creative people, creative thinkers. Fred Smith has some suggestions for overcoming this boredom in our lives.

1. Break up the repetition of life. Sometimes the simplest changes will help us use our minds rather than relying on automatic habits. Routine is needed for efficiency, but life is more than good time management.

2. Add something good to your life. Start a new activity, begin a new hobby, see the old things in new ways, start new associations. Enroll in a course, sign up for a film series, symphony concert, summer theater, athletic event, Bible study – but do something good!

3. Take something bad out of your that needs correcting. The sedentary life is a good place to start making a change.

Fred Smith talked about a tradition in Italy that I recently read about. Some Italians, particularly in southern Italy, launch their celebrations on New Year’s Eve by throwing old pots, pans, clothes, appliances, and even furniture out the window. It’s meant to symbolize “letting go” of things in the past that are not good for you to hold onto. I’m not sure if your neighbors would like that, but it is a great mental image for ways to fight boredom in your life.

The Bible often talks about “new things.” In a message through Isaiah to the Jewish people, the Lord reminded them of all He had done for them in the past. Maybe they were bored with the good things in their lives. God said he had a cure for that.

For I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
Isaiah 43:19 NLT

Recognize that when you are bored with the daily routine, you are the one who can pull yourself out of that dry rot of the soul and step onto the vibrant path the Lord has already provided for you. Something new! Try it.

God’s best,