Pre-baby Boredom

The due date has come and gone and I am the most bored that I can remember being in my entire life.  This totally tops any teenage boredom that I complained to my parents about, for sure.  I shake my head in disgust that I even dared to utter the word during such shallow experiences of boredom.  This is different because what I'm waiting for is not the next social occasion, entertainment escape, or other superficial high.  I'm waiting for a BABY.  I've been wanting to meet her for months and I've prepared for her arrival with great anticipation.  Now the nesting has worn off, I have no energy to care for my family, and I find myself staring into space a lot.  I was literally bored to tears on Thursday night and have hated the feeling of not knowing what to do with myself - besides eat chocolate.  There's always chocolate to be eaten.  

So, by the grace of God I'm sure, I mustered up what little energy I had left to "embrace the boredom" (to "sit in it" if you're Matthew Hooper) and do a little digging into What Jesus Would have me Do in these moments.  I googled (Me love google) "what the Bible says about boredom" and came up with some interesting, challenging and encouraging things.  None of these ideas are original to me, they all came from either here, here, or here.  So a sweeping thanks to all those folks.

CHALLENGING 

Boredom comes from a pre-occupation with self to the neglect of what is around us.  (Guilty.*)  So take a hint from Luke 9:23-24 and deny yourself.  Make it an adventure to pray for others (Colossians 4:2).  I need to pick back up the good prayers I've had for this little one and enjoy this time to pray for her in utero.  

Boredom comes from unfulfilled expectations.  (Check.*)  I definitely need to release my expectations back to the Lord and trust that His ways are higher than mine and His timing is perfect.  In fact, a friend of mine has been praying for perfect PEACE for me rather than the specific "perfect timing" we have been hoping for.  

And from the wise words of another previously waiting pregnant lady:  "Don't be bored, be grateful.  When the baby comes, you'll wish you were bored!"  =)

ENCOURAGING

Boredom is actually the result of being in a culture of too much.  In biblical terms, if I am bored it is because my cup runneth over.  This should lead to a spirit of gratefulness and contentment.

Another commenter noted that because boredom brings us to the end of ourselves it could almost be one of the beattitudes:  Blessed are the bored, for they will see God.  

And then from good ol' Chesterton's Orthodoxy:  "A child kicks his legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life.  Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged.  They always say, 'Do it again;' and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead.  (Amen.*) For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony.  (So true.*)  But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony.  It is possible that God says every morning, 'Do it again,' to the sun and every evening, 'Do it again,' to the moon."

Holy Spirit, help me to deny myself, release expectations, grow in gratefulness and contentment, and exult in the monotony of waiting for this new life to emerge.  

And feel free to bring her as soon as possible...  ;-)

*  These were my original thoughts.