When my children were young, they only complained of being “bored” a few times. That’s because every time they did it, I responded (following the advice of older, wiser friends whose parenting I admired) by simply gazing at them calmly and saying, “Wow, you have a problem. But I know you’re smart and creative, and I think you can solve your problem.”
Our instinct is to problem-solve for our kids, or to try to entertain them. But using that simple statement helped much more than suggesting things for them to do. It told them I believe in them, that they were capable, creative, and most of all, responsible for themselves.
American poet and satirist Dorothy Parker once said: “The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.”
The Bible says that the whole earth is full of the glory of God. It teaches us that God is everywhere, he’s omnipresent. When we have a healthy sense of curiosity, we notice things. We pay attention and ask questions. We ask, “Where is God in this situation?” And as we begin to explore that question, we notice God’s obvious presence everywhere.
The people you lead—whether they are children or adults, staff or volunteers—may eventually get bored. But it is not your job to entertain them, or to solve their problem. What would happen to your team, and to you as a leader, if you let those you lead know that you trust them to solve problems, to question the status quo, and change it if need be? In other words, if you and they both had permission to be curious and creative?
One day, my children solved their boredom problem by finding old cans of paint in the garage, and an empty cardboard box that a water heater had been delivered in. They wondered, What would happen if we stuck our hands in the paint and put handprints all over the box? Thankfully, they tackled this project outside. Was it messy? Sure. But they had a blast. They worked together on something creative.
We often think that the antidote to boredom is busyness. (I did offer to solve my kids’ boredom problem for them by assigning them a bathroom to clean, which they never took me up on. Because they knew they might still be bored, even as they were busy). But many times, when we’re spiritually bored, we decide the best thing to do is to get spiritually busy. Um, how’s that working for you?
What if the antidote for boredom is curiosity? What would it look like to let curiosity and wonder have a part in your spiritual life, in your leadership? Sometimes, curiosity is simply asking the questions that lead us to new ways of doing things, that spark our creativity.
Do you encourage curiosity and creativity in the team you lead? And more importantly, do you cultivate those qualities in yourself? Do you let yourself ask, “What if we didn’t do things the way they’d always been done? What if we tried this?” Who knows, it could be the cure for boredom. It could lead to innovation and creativity. It could revive your spiritual life.
Keri Wyatt Kent speaks and writes books about slowing down enough to find God in your story. She helps her readers and listeners connect faith with real life. She’s the author of nine books, including her latest, Deeper into the Word: Reflections on 100 Words from the New Testament. Learn more about her or contact her at keriwyattkent.com.
