The Conflict with Comfort
My head on a pillow and my body snuggled under a warm comforter, I was cozy as a swaddled infant. I basked in how comforting my bed felt as it hugged my body. While there in repose, I slowly began to realize nothing productive would be accomplished while I was laying here in relaxation. Despite how good I felt at the moment, if I hoped to achieve anything, I would have to get up and step out of the comfort in order to be productive.
In life, being comfortable never produces anything significant.
Most people have this innate desire to always chase something more, something greater. We want a better career. A changed life. We want next level growth and a fulfilling purpose. Even when we are believing God for these things, the changes and growth we seek always require a certain level of discomfort. Change itself is uncomfortable, no matter how willing or open to it we are. Whether it is physically, mentally or spiritually, the transformation process brings levels of distress and awkwardness that will make you wonder if it is all really worth it.
Let go of the comfortable. Comfort can breed complacency, and complacency is the kryptonite to transformation and evolution. When you are complacent, your desires for growth and change are void. Let’s not confuse this with contentment. The Word of God often illustrates the importance of being content (Philippians 4:10-12) but our contentment should not push us to complacency.
Oftentimes, it is the thing in our life that we are most comfortable with that God will change or remove in order to push us to get up out of our beds and recognize that he is using our discomfort to move us into the “newness” that we seek.
Childbirth is one of life’s most beautiful things, yet I have never heard any woman say it was comfortable to birth a child. Medicated or not, it is a hard and laborious process to push out a new life. But amid that discomfort, the miracle of life is produced and it is precious beyond words.
Such are the miracles of the heavenly Father. He is using our discomfort and affliction to birth something amazing and precious in our lives!
The hardest part for us is being willing. Being open to knowing that discomfort is coming. God is waiting on our willingness. Are you willing to be stretched, to be pressed, to be uncomfortable? Are you willing to accept that change will actually cause you to change? Be open to God’s work and “get comfortable being uncomfortable”.