Are You a Bored Christian?
[Guest Post by Y. Lola Mitchell – I met this beauty online when she asked if she could guest post for Devotional Diva. I always love meeting new people who have a heart to encourage others. Please welcome Lola!]
Not too long ago I came across this devotional that I wrote to myself when I was feeling really stagnant in my relationship with Christ.
Church had become boring, and I really needed a change. I lamented to my husband about my feelings and decided to get real with myself and really evaluate the problem by writing it down.
And this is what came out…
I recently had a thought about my relationship with God and how it has changed over the years. At times it’s on fire and I’m full of Godly motivation, but recently I’ve found myself without zeal for God. Almost with an “I’ve heard it all before” attitude.
I compare it to the feeling of being a mathematician and feeling like your sitting in Algebra class. There have literally been times in Bible study or regular service when I’ve wanted to raise my hand and say,
“I’m sorry, but I think we did this same lesson last week?”
Not to say I’m an expert in all things Godly, because I’m not! But I have been going to church my whole life, so certain things about serving God have become commonplace.
My cousin “K” once told me, “When you start to feel like, now what? Well, it means God is trying to get your attention.”
God is trying to take all of the things He taught you in Algebra I and II, and He wants you to use them to learn Calculus. He doesn’t want us to stay at the same place. It’s like with anything else in life if you’re not growing in a certain area it becomes boring and without purpose.
This is even true in both bad and good relationships. If a person is not growing in a relationship he/she may start to get bored with that relationship.
When I’m a bored Christian or feeling bored with my relationship with God it’s because I’m not allowing myself to grow.
How do I not allow myself to grow?
Well, by not seeking out the knowledge and truth that God wants to give me. Being a habitual Christian may be just as bad as being a “fair-weather” Christian. Where a “fair weather” Christian only goes to God when it’s convenient a habitual Christian serves God only out of habit not out of a thirst for His teaching.
So what does this mean for me?
Overall, I think it means that it’s not about the quantity right now for me as a Christian i.e. loading up on more bible studies, services, and fellowships, it’s the quality. I need to stop what I think I’m doing — or in my case not doing — and start doing something new for my Christian faith.
I need to keep the spark in my relationship with Christ and not settle for a monotonous routine.
I need to start asking new and different questions.
I need to start looking at books in the Bible that I previously did not desire to read.
I need to buy a new study Bible with different commentary, and I need to allow the Spirit of God the time and space, to deposit in my spirit the “purpose” behind ever new word and experience.
At the end of the day I care far too much about the future of my love and relationship with God to let the flame die out.
I hope you feel the same and stay hungry for Christ.
“He who is full loathes honey, but to the hungry even what is bitter taste sweet” (Proverbs 27:7).
Y. Lola Mitchell is a graduate of Purdue University with her degree in Secondary English Education. When she moved from the windy city of Chicago to Sunny California she took the opportunity to follow one of her other purposes in life, sharing her testimony, while encouraging women to seize the life that God has planned for them. Her first book is currently available on Kindle called Lola’s Prayer Cocktail. More information can be found on her website, www.godyouandme.com.
