There are times when this life seems hardly fair.
There are moments we hope will be passed by or forgotten.
We, as humans, seek to avoid pain and suffering. We don't enjoy uncomfortable things and often we can find ourselves in a rut of trying to make ourselves comfortable amidst uncomfortable situations. We avoid certain people, places and topics entirely. We don't heed the advice that we should and we try to ignore the signs that our life is not really in our hands at all. This can make us extremely self-centered and self-focused. Living in a closed shell of our own life is hardly living at all....
Luke 6:30Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.
What if you have been called into the uncomfortable? What if your ministry isn't designed to give others that fluffy feeling? I have know MANY who have been called to ministry. There have been beautifully spoken ladies called to lead powerful Bible studies. I have been blessed to meet ladies who have been called to bring a lightness to other women's lives. Some are called to comfort the body of Christ, some are called to rock sweet babies while their weary parents get a rest, and some are called to bring God's Holy Word to the masses.
Me? Oh, I have been called :) I am called to love on those whose dignity and pride and have been stripped from them. I am called to bring awareness to the large monster that plagues every single continent: slavery. I am called to be bold in my message, to push through that which tries to silence the cry of those who lay naked in their shame and to love, yes love, those who are caught in the wicked web of sexual exploitation and slavery. My calling is not pretty, it is often not received well, and no, it is certainly NOT comfortable.
Think about the last time you attended a conference or even just a Sunday service at church. Was your heart expectant? Was it expectant for God to show up....no matter what He had to say? Or was it expectant for a little Heavenly fairy dust to be sprinkled over your life? When we enter into God's presence, do we expect to be changed...or do we simply want to be fixed?
The honest thing is that we crave human comfort, not God's comfort. Look at your news feed and Pinterest pages. How many pictures of cute animals, pretty babies, desserts and home decor do you find? Now, how many pictures are you drawn to that depict a broken human soul? Do you have a board for that? Not likely so....
2 Corinthians 9:6-8Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.
In order to live a bountiful life, we must embrace the uncomfortable. We must be OK with the trials we face. Will it make them easier? No. But if we seek human comfort alone and try to avoid that which hurts, who do we turn to in times of need? When our comfort becomes paramount to doing the Lord's work, we have lost our way completely.
Please don't misunderstand me. I am not saying your life is a bowl of cherries or that you don't have problems because you seem concerned with comfort. I am also not saying that your problems disappear if you turn your focus off of your own issues. What I can promise is that if our focus turns to God, embracing the uncomfortable things that happen in life, we are better equipped for what life brings. I have suffered many losses: my mother, grandparents, my child, dogs, cats, fish and even finances. God is always faithful to bring me back to where He needs me to be.
Friends, it's not about God blessing you each day...it's about cultivating a heart that beats to the tune of gratefulness for ALL He has already done.
In Jesus' Love,
Michelle
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