Comfort Zone

In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war…David stayed behind in Jerusalem. – 2 Samuel 11:1

There is nothing wrong with comfort. Comfort food. Eight-foot-long comfy couches. Soft sweaters and real hugs. Not side hugs, but the kind of bear hugs that hurt your rib cage and make you laugh. I love a warm embrace. There are certain people, places, and things that make me feel instantly welcome. When I’m in the presence of my family, best friends, or a significant other, they make me want to kick off my flip flops and stay awhile. I am welcomed. Loved.

You know you’re comfortable in a relationship when you look forward to another person’s smell, laugh, and little idiosyncrasies. There’s nothing wrong with comfort, but it’s when life is going great that we have to be the most careful. “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall,” warns Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:12. Makes sense, but what does this look like?

David stayed comfortably in his palace when he should have been going off to war. Because of his idleness, he fell into sin with Bathsheba – a sin that culminated in the murder of her husband. At the time in my life when I was “comfortable” in a job, I didn’t see the harm in flirting with a cute guy at work. Instead of finding my comfort in Christ I let my anxiety push me into the arms of a man I barely knew. As the harmless flirtation grew more serious, I came to understand that I needed to say no to sin and yes to God. I ended the relationship, worked hard toward my fraud licensing, landed my dream job, and even started my own business on the side. I could have easily stayed in my “comfort zone” by continuing that relationship and being comfortable with a mediocre job. But now I have a career and am able to trust God in whatever he puts in front of me. What about you? What kind of godly sorrow has God used in your life to move you out of your comfort zone?

Prayer: Thank you for moving me beyond the comfortable and placing me back in your loving arms. Don’t let me be afraid of godly sorrow, for that is where I will find hope, healing, and the truth of your promises. Amen.