We hope you enjoy this re-post from February 12, 2015. Be blessed! The Today’s Quote From God Team

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. – 1 Corinthians 10:31, King James Version (KJV)

In The Science Behind How Boredom Benefits Creative Thought, Vivian Giang reports:

Recent research finds that being bored promotes creative association and pushes one to find deeper meaning and satisfaction.

In one study, researchers Karen Gasper and Brianna Middlewood of Pennsylvania State University found that participants who were bored outperformed those who were relaxed, elated, or distressed on creativity tests…

Researcher Andreas Elpidorou of the University of Louisville writes in a journal article that “boredom helps to restore the perception that one’s activities are meaningful or significant,” meaning it acts as a “regulatory state that keeps one in line with one’s projects. In the absence of boredom, one would remain trapped in unfulfilling situations, and miss out on many emotionally, cognitively, and socially rewarding experiences. Boredom is both a warning that we are not doing what we want to be doing and a ‘push’ that motivates us to switch goals and projects.”

Gasper and Middlewood also found that bored individuals seek out and engage in satisfying activities—much like happy people do.”Boredom operates similarly to feeling happy or excited,” says Gasper. “It results in you trying to approach something that, in this case, is more meaningful or interesting. It encourages people to explore because it signals that your current situation is lacking so it’s kind of a push to seek out something new.”

Giang’s report is interesting, and it also provokes this question: are you constantly bored in your work? As Christians, we need to remember that the purpose of the work is to 1) glorify God, 2) serve others, and 3) provide an enjoyable pastime for ourselves while we accomplish purposes one and two. If we engage in the types of work for which we are designed, we will find the fulfillment, meaning, and purpose that the researchers claim boredom points us to. If we don’t engage in the types of work for which we are designed, then we will suffer constant boredom until we wake up and pursue the calling God has given us.

Now, don’t get me wrong; even when we engage in the work God intended us to do, there will be days of struggle, persecution, difficulty, and, yes, boredom. But the boredom will be occasional; it won’t permeate every moment of the day. And, despite the occasional attack of boredom, we will find joy, meaning, and purpose in the knowledge that we’ve redeemed the time God has given us by spending it the way He intended for us to spend it.

Is your day constantly filled with thoughts, attitudes, and emotions of deep, deep boredom? Then consider why you are engaged in the work you are engaged in. Are you doing it for the money? Are you doing it because a parent, a peer, or a friend said that you would be good at it? Or, are you doing it because you see it as a mission from God? If you are bored out of your mind, then I would be willing to bet (if I were a betting man) that you are NOT doing your work because you believe it is your mission from God. So, if you want to get rid of the boredom, it’s time to discover your mission – and to start engaging in it!