Have you ever tried to change a baby? It's an interesting process right? I have a godson and he is the cutest human but when it’s time to change his diaper he is a totally different person. He cries to be changed and in my love I desire to change him. I begin the process of changing his diaper and he squirms and screams like it’s the end of the world. He desires to be changed but not by me taking off the dirty diaper he has on first.
Have you ever gotten hurt? Fallen off a bike or a skateboard? I have a friend that “skateboards” and she fell scrapping up a good portion of her elbow and knees. She saw the blood and desired to be healed but when I proceeded to put the alcohol that would start the healing process she wanted me to stop. She desired to be healed ,but wanted no pain attached to the healing process.
Have you ever thought that that is how we treat God? We desire for him to change us and heal us ,but we don't want him to take away the things that stink in our lives or to pour the alcohol on our wounds that they can be healed. So, I started going to counseling about 3 weeks ago. It has been a long process to get to the couch of a therapist and there was a lot of (not gonna lie) being voluntold. I am a person that likes to avoid pain and conflict by doing that I avoided the hurts in my past for fear that conflict would arise if I said that something hurt me. I have desired a lot of change in my life over the past year. I have desired to have healthy and deep relationships, I have desired to be sanctified in such a way that I would not recognize the old me, and I have desired to learn what it means to trust God and to live it out. All these things are pretty big asks, for me at least. I asked God to work on these things in my life. I asked and he started working, but not in the way that I planned. I wanted God to work through these things in my life with a minimal amount of tears, a zero percent chance of pain and I wanted him to do it quickly. None of those things happened if you were wondering.
The funny thing is I asked God probably 2 weeks ago a question I have been asking since this season of my life started
“What are you doing in my life? Why is all this happening?”
He answered
“Answering your prayers”
That pierced my heart. I was so focused on all the tears and pain and impatiently waiting that I completely forgot that he was and is answering my prayers. Wow God is so faithful even when I am faithless. I felt as though God had left me in my circumstance but it was the exact opposite God was walking me through this. He was not only walking with me through it but guiding my every step.
I had a plan on how I wanted to be changed and I squirmed and screamed as God attempted to change me. I resisted with everything in me because it didn't look the way I expected. It may be easier to resist the change,but who wants to sit in a dirty diaper or sit bleeding and allow infection to run rampant? I realized that it may be painful and uncomfortable to be changed and healed but it quite literally stinks more to stay in your mess.
Why do we as people desire to live a life pain, struggle and scratch free? We desire that because we idolize comfort. We measure comfort and easy living as a standard for a good life.
The Idol of comfort
Okay I know you're looking at the screen crazy. How can comfort be an idol? And I have asked the same question to God. Think about it though how many times have you forsaken a command of God for the sake of comfort. Whether it be engaging in sexual sin because that it what brings you comfort or not sharing the Gospel because you were going to be “uncomfortable” or maybe its choosing a career that will give you the life of financial comfort that you desire forsaking what you know God is calling you to do or maybe it's one of the other many ways we choose comfort over Christ. You are not alone! I have said so many times over the past couple of months that I want to be changed just not the way God is doing it. I want it to be painless. I want to be comfortable and changed. That's foolish though. Think about how Jesus describes being a follower:
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Matthew 16:24-25
Jesus is not asking for his disciples to have a comfortable life. Imagine if Jesus was literally talking about taking up a physical cross and doing that daily. That would quite literally be uncomfortable, painful and hard. That is what Jesus is calling us to endure every day spiritually. What Jesus is calling us to do is give up this idol of comfort. Give up this idea that if it's hard than that means that's not what you're supposed to do. Now don't get me wrong I don't want to scare you and say that you will be living hell on earth but this is not your eternal home. You aren't supposed to be comfortable here. You are meant to long for heaven and eternal life. Jesus is worth picking up your cross and following him daily. Jesus is worth removing the idol of comfort and giving him authority of your life.
There is this metaphor for growth that I am sure many of you have heard. It talks about how a seed is under the ground surrounded by the dirt and can't see anything. The seed feels changes and doesn't understand why its in darkness and the seed fights but roots grow. The seed wants the process to be faster but to be a stable plant the roots need to grow deep. The seed turns into an oak tree. How beautiful it is to see the finished product but forget that the process to getting there is painful and dark at times.
It is worth allowing God to change you in whatever way he chooses. He is a good farmer and he knows exactly what conditions you need to grow and reach completion in your sanctification process.
What do you need to allow God to change in your life? How will you actively remove the idol of comfort from your life?
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