I just returned from a vacation that wasn’t quite like previous ones. Because of circumstances, we weren’t able to do and go as much as we had in the past. At one point, I was asked if I was bored. I thought about it for a moment but could honestly say—I wasn’t.

Despite not being on the go a lot, there was plenty for me to focus on. 


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I observed fat pigeons trying to balance on skinny wires.
I tried to identify and sight birds based on their chirps and songs.
I looked at gardens and smelled flowers.
I watched people walking dogs and dogs walking people.
I took long walks.
I met and talked to new people at the bus stop.
I read . . . and read . . . and read . . . and renewed my love of reading.

And there were multiple opportunities for good conversation.

This restriction on activity gave me time to rest and reflect. Something that is often absent in our busy, task-oriented lives.

Do you know that the word boredom never appears in the Bible? The closest to the concept comes in Ecclesiastes 1:2-8 which talks about the meaningless of so much of human activity. Then in Proverbs 19:15 Solomon states that "Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless go hungry.” But that is self-induced boredom.

Then I thought about Eden. Perfection before the fall. Adam and Eve did not have games, computers, books, … but they had God-given jobs, each other, the beauty of God’s creation, and communion with God himself.

And that’s the touchstone.

While the world is telling us through commercials and social media and store ads that we need more and more, and newer and newer to be happy and fulfilled, we don’t. In fact, as I stated in an earlier blog, those are ultimately empty and unable to sustain satisfaction.

But, if we find our satisfaction in God alone, then we will be content with what He gives us at any given time. We will find purpose and meaning. We will be content. We will be spiritually engaged.

Therefore, as our lives become filled with more noise and distractions, let us remember what David said in Psalm 16:11:

​You make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

It’s a trap. It’s a con. It’s a scam. And it’s winning.

I had convinced myself that it would be only one scoop. One scoop of chocolate peanut butter ice cream. Just a little something sweet to finish off a nice meal.

But . . . the sugar took over, and its ability to release dopamine into the brain’s reward system and create pleasure made me crave more . . . and guess what? Yup. One scoop turned into two, which turned into . . . 



Scientists say this sugar stimulus is similar to what happens when we consume cocaine or nicotine. It’s addictive.

The clincher was . . . that even after I had satisfied my cravings, I wasn’t satisfied. Instead, I was upset with myself and realized that my indulgence was actually going to cause more problems than benefits.

And that’s how Satan works in this world of addictions, isn’t it? Temporary delight but no lasting satisfaction. Whether it is ice cream, drugs, money, fame, power. If we crave the world’s version of happiness we will never be satisfied. The sugar high or power high or fame high will always be followed by a letdown. An emptiness.

This is why Jesus told his listeners to “not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20). 

God is all we need. We are told this over and over and over. 

I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength (Phil. 4:12-13).

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4). 

And we already know those desires are not of the flesh for they fail to sustain us, but of God who provides exactly what we need to be truly satisfied and at peace.