When it's good to be uncomfortable

I’ve just begun reading Everyday Justice by Julie Clawson. In the book, Julie unpacks how we get the goods that we daily buy- food, clothing, gas, and more- and shows us the negative impact it can have on the environment and people around the globe. When I asked my friend, Darlene, if she enjoyed the book, she said, “Well, I don’t know if ‘enjoyed’ is quite the word for it.” These books and thoughts and discoveries more or less wreck your life in the best way possible. Jesus wrecks my life in the best way possible. In a world that is driven by a desire for comfort and happiness, I am learning the value of living in the uncomfortable. Because once I know these truths, I am held responsible. How can I turn a blind eye? Now that’s an uncomfortable thought.

It’s ok to be uncomfortable sometimes. It’s ok to be uncomfortable as we wrestle with how to make daily choices that glorify God. This is what we call “pressing in.” When things get hard or questions arise, human tendency is to push away. Christianity calls us to press in. Press into the hard places. Keep going and don’t let up. It’s like the last chapter of C.S. Lewis’s The Last Battle- the more further up and further in we go- the more magnificent the colors, the closer to God, and the more real His love.

We are a society driven by outward appearance. Even if it is not ok on the inside, it must look it on the outside. We are told it’s not ok to open up and reveal our hurts. We push down these struggles, these questions, these hurts until we’ve forgotten what it looks like to press into God in the midst of these struggles and do it in a healthy way.

This is why we have divisions and miscommunications. We don’t know how to talk about the realness of how people in the church don't know what to do with homosexual thoughts. We don’t know how to have healthy, deep relationships with people of the opposite sex without mistaking our affections for romantic love. We think that if we’re not married when we get out of college something must be wrong with us. We don’t know how to befriend people of the opposite marital status.  We don’t value the advice and experience of people in a different generation than us. We don’t appreciate the wisdom and pure eyes of children.

So let’s just do it. Let’s just talk about it. In living rooms. In the places in which we do our living.

Let’s just do it. Let’s ask for forgiveness in the places where we’ve hurt people and give forgiveness in the place where we’ve been hurt.

Let’s just do it. Let’s ask questions instead of make assumptions. Let’s pray when we want to yell. Let’s not be ok with false comfort. Let’s press in and dig deeper until we find truth and healing.

Let’s give space for God to show us just how amazing His love for us is and His plan is for us if we just step outside of our comfort zone. Stepping outside of our comfort zone, doesn’t always mean we just get in a plane and fly to Kenya (although it may). It might just mean stepping over those lines we’ve drawn and into our neighbor’s yard, whoever you’re neighbor may be- to strike up a conversation and allow ourselves to be conduits of God’s love for the world around us.

It’s ok to be uncomfortable. I think we may be surprised to find that when we make a habit of living in the uncomfortable it may actually become quite… comfortable- for indeed we find ourselves looking more like our Creator and falling more in love with Him.- and that is exactly where I want to be.