Boredom

A pastor once commented during his sermon that “sin is fun.” I can’t deny that some things which we take pleasure in might be considered sinful, but I don’t agree that sin is fun. I do admit that it seemed “fun” at times during my life to drink and party, to have sex, to buy bigger toys, to be concerned only with my wants and desires. Nobody wants to feel guilty about those things, and the only way to do that is to ignore (reject) God and the laws that He gave us for our own good. What the world, and Satan, would have us believe is that the opposite is also true - “being Holy is NOT fun.” Too many of us have that ingrained in our heads. This thinking also distorts our understanding of what it will be like in Heaven. I am reading Randy Alcorn’s book, “Heaven,” and it has helped me better understand what my eternal life might be like. I am excited, and so looking forward to that time. Until then, I need to rethink the idea of “fun,” and overcome the misconception that being Holy is NOT fun.


There may be a certain thrill in sinful acts, but the thrill does not last. There is also an associated guilt with those actions. You cannot avoid that feeling, because God has written His truth on your heart. You know right and wrong, regardless of whether you’ve read the Bible, memorized the Ten Commandments, or go to church. Don’t listen to the demons that tell you it’s okay, everybody does it, the world is right and there is no God. Don’t listen to the demons who tell you that it’s too late, you’ve already failed and you’re going to hell. Don’t listen to the demons that try and convince you that you’re too far gone, that God won’t forgive you, or that God doesn’t love you.

God does love you. He created you. He has given us a way, The Way, to eternal life with Him. Jesus has overcome the world, and He wants to see you and I survive this world so that we can experience a new heaven and new earth that is untarnished by sin and evil. I can’t wait to see that! If I had fun sledding down the simple hills of Dearborn, I will have a blast sledding down new mountains, knowing no fear. I will not get hurt in heaven. There will be no pain in heaven. What prevents us from having fun right now are exactly those fears, and more. We don’t want to get hurt, we don’t want to fall down, we don’t want to get bit, get lost, get hot, get cold, etc. etc. We have become so comfortable in this world, we have closed our eyes to a greater joy yet to come. I am afraid to have fun, because the devil would have me believe that I must be doing something wrong. It can’t be acceptable to God, because His rules don’t accommodate joy. How did I fall into this twisted notion? I have been pounded, and my faith has been weakened, but I will hold on. I believe. And, even with faith as small as a mustard seed, I will see heaven.

The lie that we need to recognize in the here and now, is that living a Holy life is not boring. If I go kayaking on a quiet river, I am having fun. I am not sinning. God has enabled me to have this moment of joy. He lets me glimpse a part of His creation that I may have never experienced without His grace. Through these moments, I can worship the God of creation and be in awe of all that His mighty hand has made. If I hug my wife, I have joy. I am not bored, and will not allow boredom to overcome my marriage. We share in fellowship, companionship, hardship, laughter and love. There is no sin in this. We may come under attack, but God brings us through the trials. It might not always be fun, but it certainly is not boring. I am a sinner, but I am saved. I still make mistakes, but I am forgiven. There may still be struggles ahead, even as I struggle today, but by God’s all sufficient grace I will endure.

It is a spiritual battle and a worldly battle that we must fight. If we ignore either one, we may fall into the trap. Peter writes in his gospel, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (I Peter 5:8). If we have come to accept that most fun can only be found in the way of the world, but in living a Christian life we will only find to boredom, then we have already fallen prey. I think boredom comes when we stop trying. Lord, when I fall, help me back up and help me to keep moving.

In heaven, I hope to fly, I hope to walk on the sun, I hope to explore the universe. In all those activities, I will be praising God because His presence will be evident in all that He has restored. He will take pleasure in the joy I will take in recognizing His gifts in a new heaven and new earth. I will work (yes we will) and have fun doing that because it will be doing what God made me to do. The newness of life in heaven will never wear out. This is difficult to grasp, because we are in a fallen state. Our attention span is short. What does it take to be stimulated? Even the longest lasting TV shows eventually die because of our boredom. We are tricked into believing that the happiness can be found in what we can touch and feel, but we have been blinded to what is beyond that. Faith. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see,” Hebrews 11:1. If you don’t have it, ask God to give you that faith.

Someday I will party in heaven and enjoy a great feast. I hope to see you at the table too!