On the first day of 2016, I was challenged, of all things, by the concept of comfort. I love comfort. I live for lazy weekends and taking my kids to the beach in the summer and carving out time for myself to read or go for a run. And yet as a follower of Jesus, this could not be further from my calling. It is clear in scripture that the highest road is the hardest road but it’s the road where we will find Jesus. And yet even with this knowledge, my flesh wants nothing to do with anything that pulls me into even something remotely uncomfortable.
“You have heard it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:38–48
“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:9–21
None of that sounds comfortable, but oh does it sound incredible.
On the first day of 2016, I was hit with a question that made my stomach churn:
“What if I started each and every day asking God what could be the godliest, most uncomfortable thing I could do that day?”
In God’s economy, resolutions are not yearly. They’re daily. We’re not defined by how much we accomplish in 12 months. We are defined by how much HE accomplishes every day when we give our lives over entirely.
This is a concept that every fiber of my natural self hates and fears and screams out against in the name of, “But wait! What about….”
Me. What about me. A question you will find exactly nowhere in the bible.
So this is a journal. A journal of what happens when I ask God for the fullest life in the godly uncomfortable. Most of me wants nothing to do with this. I want comfort and planning and the perfect budget and time to myself. But then I read the bible, and I know that’s not where greatness is found and then there’s the tiny flickering light in my soul that holds its breath in anticipation of seeing just what God can do. It will be hard, it will be scary, but oh friends, it will be so worth it.
Let’s go do something uncomfortable.