A Bored Man is a Dangerous Man.
Michael Thompson, The Heart of a Warrior
Dear BraveHearts,
A few years ago, during the writing process of The Heart of a Warrior, God revealed this truth to me. By definition,
boredom is an emotional or psychological state experienced when an individual is left without anything in particular to do, is not interested in his or her surroundings, or feels that a day or period is dull or tedious.
I don’t know any man who is without a pretty good list of chores to do. Not having anything to do doesn’t seem to be the problem… my problem is, I don’t want to do any of them. And that is when I am ripe for boredom to set in, and when that happens the enemy comes calling. The kingdom of darkness can smell boredom in a man’s life like a shark can smell blood in the water. And the predators of the spiritual realm come.
The Kingdom of God is all about opportunities to see and hear God, to walk with Him, and to engage in the Larger Story He is writing. We are invited to play a significant part with the very Author of that story. Unfortunately, for far too many of us, we lose our bearings. Or worse, we never get true Kingdom bearings to start, and so, we get lost.
Lost is an awful condition to be in, absent to the Larger Story and the Love in which we are made for… disengaged from purpose and meaning, adventure and battle… without which, life has no context and therefore no meaning.
No context, no story… guaranteed boredom. Bored men (and women) are dangerous because instead of living in a Larger Story, the story defaults to lostness. The story becomes about me and I find myself in the center, not a good place to be, not where I was designed to be, and a very dangerous place to be. Dangerous because a man will then be forced to turn to self… the false self, and his own ways in an attempt to make life exciting, adventurous, and significant. The upkeep is unmanagable, and a heart fending for itself, fallen to self reliance, is a drowning life, a life relocated as food for the sharks.
Seeing and avoiding the traps of our enemy is a huge first step to living abundantly, fully, victoriously. Praying in this posture is a great way to counter its affects. The more I fall in love with Jesus, the less life feels like a chore, and the more it feels like an adventure—the kind of wild adventure that is not up to me to write BUT is up to me to enter into... A life in which we were all made to know, experience and enjoy both the Author and the context… A sure remedy against boredom.
Let’s Pray…
Dear God, Holy Trinity, you are glorious and glorious are your ways. You alone are God, the Author of this story, and we worship you and praise you for all the good you are doing in us and around us. Father, we invite you to father us and grow us and train us up in the ways of your Kingdom. We pray for eyes to see and ears to hear and hearts engaged in the Larger Story and your presence and your love. We trust you with the pen as you author our lives and all creation. It’s amazing to think on, overwhelming... as it should be.
Jesus, thank you for entering into the Larger Story, for taking the leading role and revealing the will and the way of the Father. For taking on sin and for overcoming the grave. We praise you for the Resurrection and we thank you for the Cross. We pray for strength and courage to enter into our part, our roles as your intimate allies. We declare your glory and power of all creation and receive you as our Savior and our King.
Holy Spirit, guide us and teach us the rhythms of grace and the steps to the great dance. We receive you as our counselor and our comforter. Bring clarity and understanding both theologically and experientially to our lives. We want to know and we want to KNOW what it is to live in partnership with you. Thank you for working in us and through us. We commit again to relationship as learners, disciples, apprentices in the Kingdom of Christ and to the ways of reconciliation.
We praise and thank you and give you claim to our lives, God. You alone are worthy, you alone are able. We pray against the kingdom of darkness and all their attempts to discourage, distract and derail us from purpose, meaning and Life. You are Life and we take our place in your life, God. We pray against all spiritual forces opposed to our Life in you. We pray against boredom and busyness, against guilt, shame and fear. We bring the Kingdom of then Lord Jesus Christ over our lives, our relationships, our work and our calling. Greater are you, God, than he that is in the world and we give our lives afresh and anew to you this day. We take our place in the great adventure and give you all praise, glory, and honor to lead us into Life and Victory. Amen and AMEN.