Are We Bored With The Mundane?

Have we ever complained about having the same kind of food, or wearing the same style clothes day after day? Many of our recurring complaints focus not on what we don't have, but on what we do have, but find boring and uninteresting.

Whether it's experiencing boredom in our workplace, our home, or with our spouse, it tells us we're tired of the same old routine. This frustration with sameness has been true of the human spirit since Old Testament times.

For example, we see the protest of God's people regarding the drab menu they were provided in the wilderness. Recalling the variety of food they ate as slaves in Egypt (Numbers 11:4-5), they despised the monotony of God's life-sustaining provision.

They opined: "Our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!" (Numbers 11:6; cf. Psalm 78:24-32). God provided exactly what they needed each day for their sustenance and survival, but they wanted something "more exciting." Aren't we tempted to think the same way today? (Proverbs 27:20; Ecclesiastes 1:8).

Regarding the development of our character, Oswald Chambers wrote: "Drudgery is the touchstone of character. There are times when there is no illumination and no thrill, but just the daily round, the common task. Routine is God's way of saving us between our times of inspiration. Do not expect God always to give you His thrilling minutes, but learn to live in the domain of drudgery by the power of God."

Dear reader, even during the seemingly most boring and mundane times of our life, let us remember that God is constantly working in our lives to instill His character in us (Ephesians 3:20; Colossians 1:29; cf. Gal. 2:20). Remember that we must experience the mundane, before we can experience greatness (Matthew 20:20-28; cf. Philippians 2:1-9).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets