Have you ever noticed that most of the advertisements you see are based around bringing you more comfort in some way? Whether it is to get you out of pain, make some part of your life easier, or make you feel more comfortable with yourself in some other way, its no secret that we strive for comfort and will pay to obtain it. Large companies and ad agencies know this.
Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think striving for comfort is a bad thing. There is no part of me that wants to sleep on a bed of jagged rocks over my tempurpedic mattress each night. But I do think we need to be cautious of allowing comfort to get in the way of growth. It is commonplace amongst people today to avoid discomfort at all costs and as a result live in a state of fleeting comforts only to experience little to no spiritual or personal growth.
The fact of the matter is, nothing grows without experiencing some level of discomfort.
A tree grows from a seed, and that seed needs to crack and break open in order to sprout and grow. And then the tree must experience challenges through winds and weather in order to signal it to grow deeper and stronger roots so that the next time a challenge comes it will be prepared and not easily broken.
Our bodies are the same way. Muscles must tear in order to grow. We must push our body into an uncomfortable state in order to signal it to improve and get stronger so that it won’t be broken by the future challenges it will face.
Have you ever heard the expression, get comfortable with the uncomfortable? As much as I agree that you must be able to embrace discomfort in order to grow, I think the concept of constant discomfort can be misleading and a deterrence for people to take on the challenge of growth.
Psalm 46:1-3 says, God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
There are many verses in scripture that talk about God being our comfort and strength but I think it’s important to note that God doesn’t tell us that we won’t experience challenges. Many of the challenges we experience provide opportunities of growth and God wants us to know that he is there to be our comfort and strength even through those times.
James 1:2-4 says, Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
What a great perspective Jesus’ brother James gives us by not only telling us to stay strong through the trials but also to find joy in the trials.
John 15 talks about the pruning process and relates our growth to that of a fruit tree. Without the pruning process — a very uncomfortable process — a fruit tree would not bear the fruit it is capable of bearing. We are the same way, it says in verse 2 of John 15, He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
Now before I make this sound like another, “embrace the suck that you are going through” speech, I want to make clear that the pruning process can be voluntary. Through staying close to God and following His guidance in your life you can find yourself embracing uncomfortable situations and experiences that he uses to grow you. It doesn’t always have to be a life crushing pruning process, although it can be and don’t let me discredit in any way some of the extremely challenging things many people have experienced and seen tremendous spiritual and personal growth from.
John 15:5 says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
God can lead you into pruning opportunities through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and he can also prune you through involuntary life experiences. Either way, the moral of the story is, if you only seek comfort and avoid opportunities for growth through any circumstance you will find yourself in a constant state of spiritual and personal frustration and you will find yourself in the same spot for a long time asking the same questions about why you aren’t seeing changes or growth in your spiritual and personal life.
I encourage you to seek opportunities for growth. Pray for God to give you strength through times that are uncomfortable, no matter how big or small, so that you can find growth through the pruning process. Ask the Lord where in your life you may need to make difficult changes to get rid of things that are wedging separation between you and Him. Ask Him to challenge you in your Christian walk and impact on others. Maybe that means something as simple as getting over your fear of praying out loud with someone or as big as selling everything, quitting your job, and becoming a full time missionary (that really happens you know).
Take on the the challenge to embrace discomfort for the purpose of growth!
Comments