Be Boring
There is a reason the most important truths in life are repeated so often. Not because we forget them, but because we have not fully learned them yet.
Yesterday, I celebrated Easter. Again. Depending on how you count, it was somewhere in the neighborhood of my fifty-fifth.
For most of my life, I have been an active participant in the Christian tradition. Which means I have not just experienced Easter annually. I have revisited its core message at least weekly.
Mix in regular communion, consistent time in Scripture, and decades of teaching and listening…
It is safe to say I have heard what many refer to as “The Greatest Story Ever Told” more than a few times.
And yet. Almost every time I come back to it, I learn something new.
I find that fascinating.
Because if we are honest, that is not typically how we think learning works.
Most of us assume learning is tied to newness. New information. New ideas. New breakthroughs. But experience (and the experts in this field) tell us a different story.
We are, by nature, stubborn learners. Once we settle into an understanding, it tends to stick. Not because it is always correct, but because it is familiar. And familiarity feels safe.
Real change is hard. And it takes time.
New insight doesn’t instantly replace old understanding. It has to work its way in. Stretch our minds. Reshape our thinking. (Kind of like new wine pressing against old wineskins.)
Even then, timing matters. There are days when we are open and receptive, ready to see what we could not see before. And there are days when the same truth simply bounces off. Nothing lands.
Which means growth rarely happens in a single moment. It happens over time. Through repetition. Through returning. Over and over and over again.
This is why those who are committed to lifelong growth keep coming back to the table.
They read.
They reflect.
They revisit.
They engage.
Not once. Not occasionally. But consistently. Because they understand something many leaders miss.
The goal is not just to know the truth. The goal is to be formed by it.
Zig Ziglar said it this way:
“Repetition is the mother of learning, the father of action, which makes it the architect of accomplishment.”
That principle shows up everywhere in healthy leadership.
It is why strong leaders consistently communicate mission, vision, and values – long after they are personally tired of hearing themselves say it.
It is why they return to foundational books and ideas, not just the latest release.
It is why they block time to think, to plan, to learn, and to engage with coaches and peer groups.
It is why they build consistent rhythms of development into their lives.
Because repetition is not exciting. It is not flashy. In fact, it is often…boring.
But it’s also where real growth happens.
The leaders who grow, who sustain, who mature over time are not always the most brilliant or the most innovative.
But they are – more than likely – the most consistent. They are willing to come back to the table. Again and again.
To the same truths.
The same disciplines.
The same conversations.
Until those truths are no longer just understood, but embodied.
Which brings me back to yesterday. Another Easter. Another opportunity to revisit a story I have heard for decades.
And somehow, it was not the same.
Not because the story changed. But because I did.
Because somewhere along the way, through repetition, reflection, and time…
New layers became visible.
New meaning surfaced.
New understanding took root.
That is the gift of coming back to the table. Not just once. But over a lifetime.
So if repetition feels boring…good! Lean into it. Because in the hands of a disciplined leader, what feels repetitive and boring is often the very thing that produces transformation.
Be boring.
Blessings to you, my friends!
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This Week’s Resource Recommendation(s):
"You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit | Examining How Culture Shapes Us | Deepening Discipleship through Christian Practices"
- James K. A. Smith
From Amazon: You are what you love. But you might not love what you think.
Who and what we worship fundamentally shape our hearts. We may not realize, however, the ways our hearts are taught to love rival gods instead of the One for whom we were made. And while we desire to shape culture, we are not often aware of how culture shapes us.
In this book, popular speaker and award-winning author James K. A. Smith helps us recognize the formative power of culture and the transformative possibilities of Christian practices.
Includes:● film, literature, and music illustrations to engage readers● new material on marriage, family, youth ministry, and faith and work● individual and communal practices for shaping the Christian life
"The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction"
- Justin Whitmel Earley
From Amazon: Habits form us more than we form them. The modern world is a machine of invisible habits, forming us into anxious, busy people. We yearn for the freedom of the gospel but remain shackled by our screens and exhausted by our routines. How can we truly break free, find rest, and form a life that aligns our habits with our foundational beliefs?
According to Justin Earley, the answer is a rule of life. The Common Rule's four daily and four weekly habits transform frazzled days into lives of love for God and neighbor.
In The Common Rule, you'll find
· doable, life-giving practices to find freedom and rest for your soul,
· expanded content including study guide questions for individual reflection and group discussion, and
· practical, accessible resources for building habits that bring life.
Take the first step toward a life of intentionality and discover how simple, meaningful habits can transform your everyday moments into a rhythm of peace and purpose.
MMS 26-14
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