WHEN THE NOVELTY WEARS OFF

Mark W. Pfeifer

We’ve probably all experienced it.  The boredom that follows the initial excitement of something new.

When I was a kid, it usually came in mid-January.  The gifts I received for Christmas were all put away, the tree had come down, the decorations were packed up, and school was back in session.

What was so exciting on Christmas morning had faded into the monotony of daily life.  Even as a kid I felt the loss.  Little did I know that how I reacted in the absence of novelty set the course for my entire life.

Here’s why . . .

In seasons of boredom, when there is no external form of motivation from something new and novel, a person must turn their attention inwards.  They are challenged to dig deep and find something internal that can motivate them.

When this happens, character is formed.  Qualities like gratitude, patience, and creativity emerge…

…and once these qualities are tapped into, they become a constant source of life that is detached from our need for external circumstances and other people to keep us going.    

I’ve observed many leaders over the years who seem to have never learned this lesson. They’re always searching for something new to motivate them.  They move from conference to conference and from program to program looking for success among those things that temporarily motivate them with something new and novel.

It reminds me of what Paul experienced at Mars Hill when it says in Acts 17:25, “For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.”

Depending on something new and novel to motivate us is a losing proposition!

If you’re in a boring season right now, one where it seems like nothing is happening in your life and ministry, maybe God is calling to you from the inside, wanting you to discover the true source of strength that will give you success.  Perhaps He is inviting you to tap into a new source of satisfaction that is detached from external motivations.

When this happens, you will likely discover those three qualities I mentioned earlier:

1. Gratitude:

This quality keeps us focused on God’s blessings.  Once initiated, it searches until it finds the gifts that justify its existence.

Gratitude helps us discover all the amazing things God is doing in our lives.  Being thankful opens our eyes to a world full of God’s goodness.

When gratitude motivates us, the encouragement we receive from others seems less like a payment they owe us and more like a gift they give us.  The world becomes a more generous place.   

2. Patience:

When we remind ourselves daily of God’s blessings, we develop a patience that keeps us moving from glory to glory.

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

II Corinthians 3:18

It’s by looking internally that we find the glory we need to keep us going.  When we experience it, the space between those mountains and valleys seems to disappear.  Finding internal patience helps the ground beneath our feet become more level, making us less susceptible to extreme highs and lows emotionally.

3. Creativity:

When we learn to tap into our own internal wells, there is a constant bubbling up of new and creative ideas that provide solutions for life’s problems.

Not needing novelty and newness to keep us stimulated allows the Holy Spirit access into our minds so He can give us a new outlook on life.  Seeing things from a heavenly perspective must have been what motivated Paul and Silas to sing in the dungeon.

“But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.”

Acts 16:25

Boring seasons are valuable!  They prepare us to experience a fuller and richer life that does not depend on circumstances and the conduct of others for its existence.

It’s a better way to live!