1,000 Girlfriends

You try to read the Bible but it always seems to open on the same page. Nothing you set your eyes on interests you - it all looks the same. You go to church, and to you, the pastor is going on and on about something you could care less about. No sooner has he started the service than you want him to finish it. Your prayers are mechanical, starting and finishing with the same words every time. For some reason, you fail to get excited about anything to do with God and church.

You are bored!

But that's not the worst. The same time you start getting bored with the things of God, you begin to get excited about things of the world. Suddenly you get into something that sparks an interest and is consuming more and more of your time and attention. It may be a subject at school, your friends, a TV show, music, a relationship, work, clothes, the Internet - you name it. On the surface it seems harmless. But though these things may not be sinful in themselves, the problem is that they have been pulling you away from God.

Call it "Solomon's Syndrome" - the man who was a victim of boredom. If you read the first few verses of Ecclesiastes you will see the picture of a bored man. "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher; "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity."

Was it boredom that drove him to get 1,000 girlfriends, who eventually led him away from God? For a king who had seen everything under the sun and was looking for excitement, it wouldn't be surprising.

What do we have to do to keep Christian life exciting? How do we keep the blues away? How do we stay enthusiastic about faith after five, ten or twenty years?

Here's what I have found helps us stay fresh and motivated.

Have a purpose. One of the main causes of boredom in life is the lack of rason d'etre, a purpose to exist. What do you want to be known for after you die? What legacy do you want to leave to the generation after you? What is the single most important thing you want to accomplish with your life? If you don't know the answer to these questions, you are living without a purpose. You'd better find one quickly.

Set goals. Why do people get excited about sports? Because every sport, from pool to snowboarding to weight-lifting, has goals. The pursuit of scoring those goals, more and better every time, and the sense of achievement it brings, keeps it motivating. It's the same everywhere else in life. Set goals you would like to achieve with your faith. They don't have to be very lofty either. I knew someone who set a goal of never being late for a church service again. That small goal put him on the road to being more serious about the things of God.

Get involved in church life. Let's be honest. Coming to church every week, sitting in the same chair, listening to the same pastor, can get a bit boring after a while. But the moment you start getting involved in some activity in your church, there will be a new shine in your eyes. You will be surprised how much there is to do in church when you are willing to help. Don't be shy to go and ask your pastor. You may have to try a few different things, until you find the one to which you can make the best contribution.

Change your mental diet. You've heard it said that you are what you eat. It's true - even more so about the food of your mind. You are what you think. I have found that one of the main reasons people's faith gets cold is because they decrease their intake of the Word of God. The Lord said we should meditate on His Word day and night. How can we do that and not get bored? By thinking about what we read. The first time you read about the blind man of Jericho you got really excited. But now you find that you skip past it. In fact, you yawn. But there are tons of hidden messages from God to you in that passage, just waiting to be found. You won't find them, and you won't get excited about it, unless you meditate on what you read.

Start getting involved in soul-winning. Think of a fireman in action. Maybe he's going through a house on fire, running through the blaze to save the crying baby upstairs. Now pause that image in your mind. Zoom in on the fireman's face. Does he look bored? I'm sure he looks much more excited than when he was sitting idly at the fire station! There are millions of people who will spend eternity in the flames of hell unless someone gives them a chance of salvation by bringing them to Jesus. When you start doing something to save souls, I guarantee you: You will NOT get bored.

So, Your Majesty, lose the "girlfriends" and start doing something really exciting with your life.

Bishop Renato Cardoso