Bored

I go back to school tomorrow, for my last semester after what has turned into an almost 10-year college career. The better
part of my college-level education took place outside of the classroom, during the years where I traveled and lived away from home. I had lots of questions about life and God, and hitting the road was how I worked those questions out—not to say that I’ve found any answers. The last two years, though, have been spent back in the classroom, trying to finish up my undergrad work so that I can have it behind me permanently. The problem with the last two years is that I don’t do so well in the classroom anymore. I get bored.

I don’t think it’s OK to allow boredom to be a norm. That’s what I decided today when I finally went outside and crossed the apartment parking lot to the gym. I ran on the treadmill and listened to the stream of iPod Shuffle goodness that emerged (mostly U2, some Bob Dylan and other random stuff). And while I ran, I thought about these last couple of years and this last semester. I don’t want to be bored. But I braced myself for it.
I did not muster any enthusiasm for my impending school reality. I did, however, decided that I am not going to succumb to boredom this semester. It may be fine for a couple of days of cold weather, but it is an unacceptable lifestyle. I don’t see any pattern in the life of Jesus or anyone else who I respect and try to learn from that leaves a lot of space for boredom. Silence, yes. Alone, sure. Bored, definitely not.

I don’t know what will happen in June. I still miss traveling and want to be a part of doing justice and loving mercy in Africa and other parts of world that seem overwhelmingly broken. I don’t know what that will look like. I still want to learn how to live in one place and commit to the people who are my neighbors—my family and friends and the people who we cross paths with on a daily basis. I still want to find ways to creatively be whom God envisions me as but who I often fail to be.

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quoted from relevantmagazine.com