Bored in Your Relationship with God?
“When I turn 18, we’re going skydiving.”
This was the line my daughter Madi started telling this consistent, predictable and yes, even-at-times-boring mom. Before I knew it, I was jumping out of a plane.
The week after that jump, it was as if I suddenly became adventurous; brave even. I found myself climbing a tree with my niece and nephew …. even rescued a fawn stuck in my backyard.
Adventure had broken monotony.
There are other places in my life that get boring.
My relationship with God.
Is it wrong to admit that our relationship with God can get monotonous?
I’m not proud to admit it, but just like other areas in my life, my consistency, my predictability, my every-day-the-same with God can get down right boring.
And I think that is a terrible place to be: bored.
When life becomes monotonous, we can make unwise decisions to break out of boredom. Find people in social media we shouldn’t find. Watch shows, read books and indulge in wrong relationships just to feel our heart beating again. Too easily we can look for excitement and adventure where it is unwise to find it.
Yet I know, God didn’t create us for boredom! I was made for more and so were you! In John 10:10, Jesus said He came to give us a rich and satisfying life. Are we taking Him up on His offer?
Are our lives rich and satisfying or dull and boring?
As skydiving spring boarded adventure in my every day life, I saw my need for a jump in my spiritual life. I knew just the one to help me. Just like I had an instructor who attached himself to me the day I skydived, the instructor, the Holy Spirit helps us spiritually jump.
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The Holy Spirit prepares us for adventure.
Nehemiah 9:20 says “You gave your good Spirit to instruct them…”
He prepares us to jump; prepares me to go for all that is rich and satisfying from Jesus in our lives.
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The Holy Spirit pushes us toward adventure.
He challenges us to grow; even to the point of making us uncomfortable at times.
Have you ever experienced PHS?
Pounding heart syndrome? I experience it every time I speak to an audience! (And my body tells me I have to go the bathroom, even when I just went. I thought I would include that for all my She Speaks friends who think that one day you’ll get over those anxious feelings. I haven’t yet!
Back to PHS. PHS is that feeling you can get, when you are about to do something you know God wants you to do, or that sense you get when God is challenging you to do something and you think everyone can actually see your shirt moving!
Many times when I experience PHS, I sense it is the Holy Spirit pushing me to get on with a new adventure with God!
When He left earth, Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to live inside those of us who choose to follow Him. No wonder our hearts start pounding when He asks us to do something – He’s in there!
Jesus said great things we would do because He did them. What did He come to do?
That is some adventure! Some getting down on your knees then in the lives of people who need to know Jesus adventure.
His push sometimes is strong, like when my skydiving instructor told me it was time to jump out of the plane. It was time to get the full experience; feel the wind in my face. I needed to jump, look up and open my arms wide.
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The Holy Spirit empowers us for an adventure to break monotony.
When I am attached to the Holy Spirit, abiding with Him every day, He doesn’t let me get too comfortable. When I am comfortable, I am no longer dependent on Him. It seems so backward, but being dependent on the the Holy Spirit puts us in the position to experience God’s best.
He wants to stretch us and give us power for our adventure!
Acts 1:8 says “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
If we’re only doing the things we are capable of, where is the need for power? Where is the adventure?
I could not have skydived without my instructor. Let’s determine not to go about our lives without attaching ourselves to the adventurous Holy Spirit!
Is this message of beginning an adventure with the Holy Spirit one you would like to bring to your community? Learn about Passing by Predictable as well as Lynn’s other new topics under the tab – Speaking at www.LynnCowell.com.
The winner of the It’s Good to Be Queen Book Bundle is Jen M. who posted on 7/29/15 at 9:14 a.m. Congratulations, Jen! Please send me your full name and address and we’ll get it sent right out to you!
Lynn, i love this & will ask the Holy Spirit to help me jump spiritually today…because jumping out of that plane, I don’t know! That’s on my 15-year old’s bucket list too for 18. My next door neighbor pastor says he’ll go too! 🙂 Have a great weekend!
Skydiving is great, Kim!
In my prayer this morning, I asked the Holy Spirit to attach Himself to me so I can do whatever it is the Father has for me today. I don’t know what that looks like, but I’ll be on the look out!
Have a great weekend too!
Great shot in the arm reminder. No skydiving but I’ll leap with the Holy Spirit!
Go Elise Go!
Empower . . . yes, to be empowered by the Holy Spirit that is all in our journey. Now, to lean on and trust the leading, I desire to do so. Thank you so much. Nope, won’t jump out of an airplane.
Skydiving is something I would have always been scared to do. Too high. Too everything. When I saw your post and pictures of your jump, I was stunned. You are brave.
Boredom…in any form needs addressing. If you say it outloud too much, it makes it more real, I think. One of our daughters liked that word…A LOT. I ordered, “You cannot say word around our house. Do something.” The truth is that I didn’t like hearing it around me. It catches and I didn’t like the reminder of how it made me feel when I was bored.
On and off through life I’ve been inspired and bored. Leaning on the Holy Spirit is my only answer. He will direct my steps.