The Cure For Boredom

(1) SOME ARE BORED IN THEIR MARRIAGE

Illus: Before Linda became engaged, she was quite the beauty, and didn't mind letting her boyfriend know it.

One day she told him, "A lot of men are gonna be totally miserable when I marry."

"Really?" asked her boyfriend, "And just how many men are you planning to marry?"

(2) SOME ARE BORED WITH THEIR JOBS

Illus: Norman Rockwell has a painting where firemen pass the hours between alarms playing checkers and showing off the polished brass and bright red trucks to wide-eyed young visitors. But for the volunteer firemen of Genoa, Texas, in suburban Houston, that was not enough. In the past three years, eight bored Genoa firemen have set about 40 fires in abandoned buildings and grass fields. As soon as the blazes were going, the arsonists would dash back to the firehouse and rush off to put out their own fires. The Genoa firemen were quite busy until they made the mistake of setting fire to a barn owned by the brother of a Houston fire department official. An investigation of the blaze led to the Genoa firehouse, and the overeager fire fighters were exposed. Explained one of the firemen charged with arson: “We’d hang around the station on the night shift without a thing to do. We just wanted to get the red light flashing and the bells clanging.” (—Time)

(3) SOME ARE BORED IN SCHOOL

Some of the experts say the reason that many children have turned to violence is because they are bored with life, and in desperation they are reaching out for some kind of excitement in their life. They claim this is why:

• Many turn to drugs

• Many turn to illicit sex

• Many want to watch violence

• Many want to participate in violence

They are bored stiff with life and they are trying to find some excitement to rid them of the boredom they face each day.

(4) SOME ARE BORED WITH LONELINESS

Their children are grown, and now what used to be an exciting house to live in is quiet.

Illus: An elderly man in Phoenix calls his son in New York and says, "I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; forty-five years of misery is enough." "Pop, what are you talking about?" the son screams. "We can't stand the sight of each other any longer," the old man says. "We're sick of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Chicago and tell her," and he hangs up. Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone. "Like heck they're getting divorced," she shouts, "I'll take care of this." She calls Phoenix immediately, and screams at her dad, "You are NOT getting divorced. Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling my brother back, and we'll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don't do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?" and hangs up. The old man hangs up his phone, and turns to his wife. "Okay," he says, "they're both coming for Thanksgiving. Now what do we tell them for Christmas?"

WHAT IS BOREDOM? Boredom is not, contrary to popular belief, a result of having nothing to do.

Boredom stems from the situation where none of the possible things that a person can do appeal to the person in question. This renders the person inactive, and generally unhappy. Thus, boredom is the result of having nothing to do that one likes.

Boredom is a road sign in life that warns us we are moving in the wrong direction. But the good news is there is hope IF WE FOLLOW GOD’S INSTRUCTIONS IN GOD’S WORD.

Illus: We do not need to be like the patient that said to his doctor:

• “It's been one month since my last visit and I still feel miserable.”

• Doctor: “Did you follow the instructions on the medicine bottle I gave you?”

• Patient: “I sure did. The instructions on the bottle said, ‘keep lid tightly closed ‘ and I am still bored.”

Let’s open up the Word of God for instructions to see what we can do to overcome boredom in our life.

I. LOOK AT THE REASON FOR BOREDOM

There is a reason for everything, and there is a reason for boredom. Let me suggest THREE REASONS why many are bored in life. They need to have a-

A. CHANGE OF PLACE

Many fall into a rut in life and they stay there week after week, month after month, and year after year. Even though they live in a big world, the world in which they have chosen to live is a small world.

• They eat the same food everyday