Boredom vs. Passion

“Boredom is a flight from what is important. Like workaholism and perfectionism, it is a way of distracting yourself from inner experiences. It occurs when you look outward and do not find anything to engage your attention. Instead of feeling your emotions … you become bored. Boredom … is a flight from your higher potential. It is fear of the transformation that wants to occur, and will occur in you, when you explore your emotions. It is your resistance to spiritual growth.” — Gary Zukav, In The Heart of The Soul

Londa Harwell spoke about this at The Meeting Place. “Boredom,” she said, “is in your mind. Passion is found in your heart.” Passion is cultivated when you connect to the heart of the Father. Sometimes you can have passion in your heart — for the Word, evangelism, orphans, the House of Prayer — but are unable to connect your mind to engage with that passion. So you sit there in church with your phone in hand, scrolling your Facebook, texting, posting on Instagram, or playing Clash of Clans, all while nodding your head so the speaker thinks you are engaged. And you might be half listening, but clearly, your mind is not connected. You know how it is when you are fully immersed and engaged. The latest epic blockbuster movie has just come out and you’re in the theatre — phone on airplane mode so you won’t be distracted — and you are riveted to the screen. Halfway through, you have to pee so bad, but you don’t move because you can’t bear to miss any moment of the action. When it ends, you blow out the breath you had been holding for that last culminating scene, and you are like, “WOW, that was the most incredible movie I have seen yet this year!” (Then you run to the bathroom, haha!) You know what I am talking about.

When is the last time you approached hearing the word of God that way? When’s the last time you sat on the edge of your seat in a church service because you were excited to hear about the goodness of God or the transforming power of mind renewal? I’m not saying every moment in Christianity is akin to an epic blockbuster movie, because clearly that’s not the case. But isn’t it interesting how during a typical church service, the phones are out and folks are in and out of the auditorium or chatting it up in the lobby? I have been guilty of this. My mind can go a million miles an hour and I can so quickly disengage from what’s being said even though I know it is something that I need to hear. My heart has passion for the things of God, but my mind is distracted from engaging with that passion. I lack discipline. Romans 8:6 says, that “The mind set on the spirit is life and peace.” When you are constantly engaging the heart of God, when you have disciplined your mind to connect with your heart, it is hard to get spiritually bored.

The problem is also that when you are bored and disengaged, it is easy for condemnation to sneak in and discourage you. “See, you can’t even make it through a church service without checking your phone. Loser.” So you can listen to condemnation or choose to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. His voice is life giving and brings peace. But whatever voice you choose to listen to, that’s the one you will end up obeying. When you are listening to condemnation you can’t hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. The clamor and racket will so quickly grab your attention away if you are not wise to it. So you focus on the stuff that is often unimportant and meaningless. It’s easier to read Facebook posts or text with your friends than it is to deal with the emotions or the deep issues of the heart that are brought up when the Holy Spirit is allowed to speak through a pastor or a teacher in those quiet moments. I have watched people, who I knew needed to hear a certain word, self-select out by picking up their phone, or leaving to go to the bathroom at that exact time and missing the whole thing that they needed to hear. I don’t believe that is coincidental. We are fleeing from what is important — whether subconsciously or consciously. We are prone to resist spiritual growth because it can be painful and uncomfortable.

So how do we discipline ourselves to connect our minds with the passion of our hearts? Firstly, we must deliberately engage with God. By reading His word, meditating, having intentional times of prayer, thanksgiving, worship and praise, we can begin to connect with Him. The more we practice this, the more connected we will become; the greater our ability will be to hear His voice; and the deeper our roots will go in understanding the attributes and character of an eternal God. This is a continual process that will increase our faith and bring revelation. If we really believe this, we will live it. To the extent we experience and believe the revelation of the power of Christ to set us free from the bondage of habitual sin, condemnation, and boredom — that’s where we will walk. Engaging with his heart is what will connect our mind to our passion. The revelation of freedom will chase away boredom and fuels our passion.