Bored? Stop Playing It Safe!

Bored? Yeah I get it! Am I the only one who has ever been bored with life?

Sometimes I wonder, is there a chance that boredom stems from misplaced fear?

I’m not exactly an adrenaline junkie, but lately I have the hankering to get brave. Yes, me … the perpetual nail-biter, weather radio analyst, locksmith with a Ph.D. in Google. Yes, this lady wants to get her brave on.

Now, I don’t even know what “brave” looks like because I have been held in the arms of blessed safety since infancy. There were the baby gates, kid leashes, pillows on the edge of the fireplace, electrical covers on all outlets, locks on cabinets, bicycle helmets and knee pads, curfews, “don’t climb any higher up that tree,” “look both ways before crossing the street,” “don’t talk to strangers,” and always, I mean always, “wear your seatbelt.”

Kind of a bumper-padded life!

I could dye my hair blonde. That is brave, right? (Or maybe just scary!)

To a certain degree, I suppose many of us have been safely tucked into the American Dream with the white picket fences that keep out imminent danger, unwanted guests, and all the hassle. I have even been guilty of hiding behind spirituality, inside church buildings to keep me safe. Often I cover myself in the role of motherhood to keep myself from being brave (although don’t get me wrong, motherhood certainly requires its own kind of bravery).

Safety may have kept me from dying, but has it also kept me from living?

I may feel safe, but that doesn’t mean I feel alive. Is that really living?

And from what are we protecting ourselves? For me it is two things: fear of failure and fear of rejection. Essentially, these are just the fear of man, right?

What do you fear?

Hiding keeps us from the world that we were meant to explore and enjoy. Hiding doesn’t scatter our fears, love does. In fact, 1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…”

The only way to get over our fears is through facing them.

Safety may have kept me from dying, but has it also kept me from living?

My kids had a broken Jack-In-The-Box. It was no fun; it was disappointing. They would twist the little lever, and the song would play, but right when Jack was supposed to jump out of the box and surprise the children with delight, we got nothing but tears and frustration. We tossed it in the trash.

I don’t know about you, but I can be like Jack, who has been wound up with good community groups, books, and podcasts, but when it’s time to pop out of that box…

This pastor’s wife has planted her rear on the pew to keep from getting dirty long enough. Our world needs the antidote that all of the books and podcasts teach us about. It’s time that we come out of our cozy boxes and share the good news of Jesus and be the hands and feet of God.

Fear has often kept me from climbing to those hard-to-reach, prickly places. If our hearts are kept in the safety of heaven, then our feet can run with bravery on this earth.

Yep, those children, the little sheep I am called to feed, they may be annoying, messy, smelly, and exhausting, but then again, so am I, right? Oh we are prepared all right, but are we prepared to do something?

When we refuse to do hard things, scary things, we are refusing to view beauty from the top. If we want to discover the heights of love and ride greater waves of grace, it is time to hop on our surfboards of little faith and let the wave carry us out. The adventure is already written.

I want to be the lady who was remembered for riding the waves of life, not clinging to the shore and missing the whole thing! Being brave could be as small (or big) as talking to your neighbor today or joining the Bungee Jumping Club to travel the world from one leap to the next. Let’s fight off a boring life and get our brave on!

—
You’ll also like Can God Use Messy People? (Video), You Freak Me Out, But I’m Going to Do It Anyway, Is “Impossible” Stopping You?, One Woman’s Journey, Why Rebekah Lyons Wrote “You Are Free”, and 5 Things You Need to Quit Right Now
#gritandgracelife