Have
you ever noticed how you hate to feel uncomfortable? I hate that
feeling of unrest. There have been many times, when I have been in
the middle of a problem, where I just have wanted to work it out
quickly and easily. Perhaps God doesn’t want me to work out my
problem comfortably or easily or quickly. What does working something
out so I can feel comfortable have to do with God’s will for my
life? Might I be missing a lesson by taking the reigns in my own
hands?
In
Luke 14:16-20, Jesus actually talked about how a man desires to feel
comfortable. This is the parable of a man who gave a dinner party.
Invitations were sent out, and excuses were given.
“Listen,
I’ve just purchased some land.”
“I
just got married.”
“Oh,
too bad! I’m just on my way to try out a new yoke!”
Each
excuse revealed that the invitation caused an inconvenience.
Inconvenience and feeling comfortable are not compatible. Jesus has
issued an invitation to follow Him. That is inconvenient. Is it
comfortable? Hardly. But if I decline His invitation I will miss the
value of a wilderness experience.A wilderness experience has the
potential to create “character”. A few words that come to mind
are honesty, integrity, patience, kindness, and diligence. I don’t
develop “character” in easy times. I must be willing to launch
out into the deep; be willing to feel uncomfortable; be willing to
experience vulnerability; and be willing to run the race set before
me. How I, in my humanness, long to avoid the discipline of the race!
But Jesus wishes me to be like Him.
“For
this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith, goodness;
and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to
self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to
godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For
if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep
you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our
Lord Jesus Christ” (II Peter 1:5-8).
Make
every effort to add these virtues, Peter writes. Feeling comfortable
or escaping a lesson to be learned is not making an effort to add
anything to my life. It is time to allow these virtues to be added.
For example, how is goodness added to faith? Testing of my faith
either brings bitterness or produces profit. I will either reap the
good or dwell on the bad. It is my choice. Will I learn from my
experience? Will I accept the invitation to grow from it, or am I too
busy like those with the excuses given in the parable? Am I trying
out my own yoke instead of His? His yoke is easy, and His burden is
light. Comfortable, it’s not, but it becomes lighter as I yield to
the lesson. To add knowledge to goodness, I must surrender again. As
yielding continues, the lessons learned bring strength to face the
unexpected. The character traits of goodness, knowledge,
self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love
shall become His bedrock in my life. For these to be real, I have to
walk by faith through the valley to realize the bedrock of the
mountain. Feeling comfortable will keep me in the valley instead of
lifting me to new heights.
Now
that is a lesson learned. I can walk through the valley with the
strength of the mountain.
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