Is being a Christian supposed to be boring? Should Christians have boring lives?

This is a very difficult question to answer correctly, because the word boring is very relative. Some people are bored by routine while others thrive on it. Some people are bored by comic books while others love them. Some people find religion boring, and others find it exhilarating. But the Christian life is not a series of routines, nor is it entertainment, nor is it religion. The Christian life is just what we are. One might as well ask us "is breathing supposed to be boring?" or even "are your feelings boring?" The fact is, life can be boring—for both believers and unbelievers. What some people mean when they ask this question is "in order to be a good Christian, do I have to give up everything fun and meaningful and exciting?" Not at all.

Life treats us all the same way. We have desires which we pursue, we have illnesses and disappointments, we have successes and failures. There are things we enjoy, and people we love. And in the end, we experience death. For a believer, there are two main differences: the help of the Holy Spirit through life, and the guarantee of life after death. There are misconceptions surrounding Christian life. One is that the Christian life is boring and dull and dreary. Another is that everything will be perfect and joyful once you accept Christ. Neither is true. Life can be dull, and it can be joyful. Again, the difference to a believer is the Holy Spirit's presence during our lifetime, and eternal life afterward. We all experience trials, boredom, and death. But the Christian has comfort for the trials of life, and hope for the afterlife.

Most often, Christians who are bored (or who seem boring to unbelievers) are not fully grasping what it is to be Christian. We are living in a world of people who cannot see, and who even hate, a God who is magnificent and exciting and wonderful. It is our job to speak and represent His beauty and truth by whatever method to which our individual talents are suited. This means a) living for the spiritual and eternal world instead of this futile, fading world and b) doing every day the very thing we are most inclined to do. Whatever we love to do, whether it is writing, or speaking, or building, or playing an instrument, or running a business, we can do that with God's glory in mind (1 Corinthians 10:31). This is wonderfully meaningful. For Christians, boredom comes in, most often, when we forget our purpose on this earth, or when for some religious reason we feel we cannot do what God has created us to do within the context of our church or ministry (i.e. some denominations may not approve of certain careers in the entertainment world, or certain scientific pursuits, and this can be a hindrance to Christians who are created to be a light in those areas).

Is the Christian life supposed to be boring? Not when it is lived correctly. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10 NIV). There are pitfalls, and things are not always rosy. Spiritual attack is a very real thing; Christians experience depression and sorrow and misery, just like other people. But when a Christian is living in truth, and seeking the Kingdom of God and the salvation of souls, boring is the very last thing his or her life will be. And in the next life, we are promised unending pleasures and the "fullness of joy" (Psalm 16:11). If believers do have times of boredom in this life, we can focus on what lies ahead. Meditation on the next life, and all the joys and amazing experiences it promises to deliver, is a powerful tonic for believers on spiritual "rainy days" (Hebrews 11:1; Colossians 1:27).

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