If you are anything like me, comfort means a lot.
My two kids hate to go shopping for clothes with me. They complain that I dress for comfort too much and constantly try to convince me that it is possible to be BOTH comfortable and stylish. Well, they may be right, but I just haven't found the right mix yet. I will take a good soft pair of well-worn jogging pants and a pullover shirt over a "stylish" outfit any day!
Shoes are another really big hangup of mine. Being a teacher, I am on my feet most of the day. My shoes have to fit me JUST RIGHT.....and they have to have enough support and cushion to help me making it through what is sometimes a 10 hour day. Even then, the first thing I do after walking in the door at home, setting my bag down, and taking my coat off is to kick off whatever shoes I wore that day. When I do find a "good" pair of shoes I will wear them every day until I practically wear them out.
What can I say? Comfort is big for me.....
But.....
Can we as Christians get TOO comfortable?
Sometimes we allow ourselves to get into a routine: Sunday morning, dress for church, sit through the sermon, sing the same songs, put the same amount of tithe in the offering each week, read our Bible (when we allow it to fit our routine), and tell a friend, "I'll keep you in my prayers."
It is comfortable; it feels good. We become used to it and we like it because it is what we are used to.
Then comes the Sunday when the sermon touches a bit too close to home, we feel that little tug in our heart telling us that we need to speak with someone about God, or someone asks us to do something for the church that we just aren't sure we are ready to try. These things make us uncomfortable. We sometimes try to ignore those feelings or whatever we are being called to do and just slip back into that comfortable, cushy Christian life that we have been used to.
When we do that, we are not only ignoring the voice of God, but we are also turning our backs on an opportunity for growth. Think about it.... When you were a teenager you may have had those occasional aches or pains in your legs like I did. My mom always called them "growing pains". My muscles were growing, lengthening, and stretching and it caused a little bit of pain. I learned to live with it. It was just a part of growth.
Our Christian life is like that. We have to experience a bit of discomfort if we are to grow as Christians. We have to hear messages that make us think, that cause us to reflect on our own life and where we are in our Christian journey. We have to be willing to accept new leadership roles within the church or step out on faith and share our talents without worrying about our possible feelings of discomfort.
Our true life as a Christian cannot begin until we accept the fact that we NEED to feel a bit of discomfort- it lets us know that we are in new territory, that we are learning something or experiencing something that will help us to continue our own personal growth. God cannot really use us if we allow ourselves to sit there in that same comfy old Christian recliner that we have been in for years. We must push ourselves to the edge of our comfort zone and be prepared to step out of that zone in order to grow and to truly experience the life that God wants us to have!
