One of the things that my wife and I have committed to is making sure that our kids have time to be bored. We do not have a television in the house. We try to not let them on gadgets as much as it can be avoided. They spend a lot of time digging holes in the backyard, painting, and building with Magna-Tiles.

Why have we committed to boredom? Because it is in boredom where the imagination grows, where learning is digested, and where solutions to problems happen.

Boredom is harder than entertainment because the kids want a solution to their boredom, which usually means coming and pulling on my shirt while I am working or yelling at Olga while she is cooking. It would be so much easier to turn on a movie and have the kids fall into a silent trance.

But what is that forming my kid into? Is that the type of person I want to create?

I am a big believer that making the hard parenting choice now is going to make life easier for my kids later. By being bored, my children are growing in their creativity. They grow in their understanding of themselves, of the things that they like or they don’t. They learn how to think critically about how to maximize their enjoyment of the good things or how to solve their discomfort with the bad. Boredom is without a doubt a good thing, and something that is missing in our modern world.

So if I as a parent want my kids to be formed by boredom, why do I as a church leader force entertainment on church goers from the moment they walk through the door on a Sunday? If I won’t let my kids watch TV at home, why do I have the kids watch the lesson in kids church? If I want to minimize my phone at home why do I encourage people to interact all the more with church social media?

It seems as though we know that these things are detrimental for the long term outcomes of the people we are serving, and yet we continue to endorse them because it has proven successful for large congregations. But is it successful for the right reasons? Are we drawing to people to Christ because of our radical love for one another, as Christ says it will be our witness to the world, or are we entertaining people to Christ? After all, if social media and over-entertaining people is detrimental to their health, then surely we are not loving them, right?

If boredom is where imagination is born at home, perhaps boredom is also where contemplation is reborn in the house of God. If critical thinking is formed in boredom, then maybe a more boring experience actually allows the person participating to begin formulating their own deep thoughts about who the God they are serving actually is. Less spoon fed and instead Spirit-led.

I think when we simplify the worship service and chase encounters with God not based on emotional pulls or stimulating experiences we will find that we are not bored at all. When the distractions leave the room, we will be left with ourselves and God. It may feel a bit uneasy, but isn’t that what it is all about anyway?

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