Have you ever felt bored in life? I know I have. I could be sitting in a car waiting for a family member in a doctor’s office. I could be in line at the grocery store. There could be a myriad of places where I feel bored.
Boredom isn’t a great emotion. And there is an antidote for it. But first to understand the blessing of latter-day prophets.
As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes known as the Mormons), we believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly. And in Amos 3:7 it says,
Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
How exciting it is to know that the Lord desires to share His knowledge, His purposes, and His ways with His children. I know that many times my understanding falls short. I’d like not to disappoint Heavenly Father in any way.
That’s why I find the words of the latter-day prophets so essential to my existence here on this earth. And look what our current prophet admonishes us to do. It’s the perfect cure for boredom!
President Gordon B. Hinckley ~ “Drink deeply from this ever-springing well of wisdom and human experience. If you should stop now, you will only stunt your intellectual and spiritual growth. Keep everlastingly at it. Read. Read. Read. Read the word of God in sacred books of scripture. Read from the great literature of the ages. Read what is being said in our day and time and what will be said in the future.” (Brigham Young University Commencement, Apr. 27, 1995, 4–5)
I think one of the reasons for boredom in our day is that in many ways, it is so easy to LOSE our way while here on the earth. Perhaps that is the test indeed, from God’s viewpoint, to see if we’ll forget that we are His. And for some, indeed it would appear they’ve forgotten God. When lives become all about the greatest and newest “toys” for adults at Christmas time (think iPods, large screen TVs, etc., to the exclusion of serving at Christmas time), I think when the luster of the gifts wear off we experience that icky “b” word … boredom.
Guess where wisdom leads? To a life rich in service and joy. Yes indeed, there is an antidote for boredom – seeking the “ever-springing well of wisdom and human experience” that President Hinckley referred to.
I’m so grateful for a prophet’s voice of reason amidst so many clamoring voices crying out to think only of self and the easy way through life. What a way to boredom!
If you would like to “drink deeply from this ever-springing well of wisdom,” here is a link to online scriptures. Feel free to bookmark it and come back to it often. Enjoy!
