From the Pulpit: Get out of familiar comfort zones

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, January 24, 2007

I want to be uncomfortable.

The above sentence seems to be absurd.

Who in their right mind wants to be uncomfortable? Our whole existence seems to be based on us becoming comfortable.

If the clothes seem to be too tight we go and buy new clothes that aren&8217;t so tight.

If the chair we are sitting in is to hard, we get a pillow or better yet, a new recliner!

We eat &8220;comfort&8221; food to make us feel better. We associate ourselves with people with whom we are comfortable. We work hard, so we can retire and live a comfortable life.

Whatever we do, we don&8217;t want to be stressed out because we want to be comfortable.

I cannot find in the Bible where God wants us to have a comfortable life. He calls us to have an abundant life, a productive life, a life with meaning and purpose, but not one that is comfortable.

If anything, God calls us away from our comfort zone. He wants us to take a leap of faith. He wants you to go where you have never been before. He wants you to serve Him and not yourself.

Think about Moses. Do you think this man who shuttered was comfortable talking to a nation?

What about Sarah? Do you think she was comfortable giving birth and raising a child at her age?

What about Paul? He told thousands of people that Christians were wrong and then he had to go back and face the same people and invite them to become Christians?

God does not call us to be comfortable. It is good for us to be uncomfortable when doing God&8217;s work. It helps us to be more reliant on Him and not ourselves. The more that we become dependent on God, the more we are supplied with the tools and resources that will accomplish His purpose.

Are you comfortable? If you are, maybe you need to listen for what God is calling you to do. I know that I need to listen more.

Bill Brown is the pastor at Montevallo First United Methodist Church.