Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

Tea Around the World

NW Church May 27, 2018

“Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable”

Let us pray!

Precious Lord, you are so beautiful! May your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven, may we be found in the center of your will on this journey of life. Lord, we ask only enough for what is needed today, no more, no less. Oh Lord, forgive, please, please forgive us! And Lord, teach us how to forgive! In every temptation, we ask that you provide a way of escape as you have promised. Lord, help us trip over it, because we know temptation is, well, tempting! So Lord, make that escape route a wide one. For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever and ever, Amen!

Today, I am going to weave a talk around this idea of “Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable.” We will look at Scripture and some central points of application for takeaway. But you know what, sometimes the principles are there, but what does that look like? We hear we are to take up our cross and follow Jesus? But how do you do that? It is the application in our own lives that sometimes alludes us.  I am going to share some out of my own life. I am going to get a little uncomfortable in an honest way today, hopefully in such a way that you will be encouraged to get comfortable being a little uncomfortable to step out in your own walk of faith.

Awhile back I ran across a poem, actually it is a prayer. It so moved me and I have been journaling and processing it for a little while. My talk today comes out of those thoughts. I pray that maybe I can impart a word to you today that will be of some encouragement in your life, your circumstances, your heart’s cry today.

“Lord, help me to get more comfortable being uncomfortable. More confident being uncertain. I don’t want to shrink back just because something isn’t easy. Lord, widen my boundaries to make room for the area in between I can’t and I can.”

The reason it resonated with me so much, a year ago I took on the project of speaking and fundraising in an answer to a call I felt very strongly – that I was to return to Zimbabwe to the mission where I grew up and rebuild the medical clinic for the people there. This feeling of being uncomfortable is exactly how it has felt this last year taking on this project, stepping way out of my comfort zone, trying to live in obedience to a calling from God. If you want to talk another time, how do you discern God’s will, what does a calling look like? I would be happy to do that but for our purposes today just trust me, there was no doubt that I was called to do this and it was confirmed over and over. I am happy to report a year later, it has been successful and successful in a short amount of time. Today there is a bright shiny new medical clinic being built at the fork of the Wanezi and Dine’ Rivers in Southern Zimbabwe. We were just there a couple of months ago, the people are thrilled, they have been loved on by us, by all of you who helped out, by my dear parents who never forgot them…

It is a wonderful story, but at the same time, and what I want to focus on today, it has been a very uncomfortable time in my life. Once when I was having some real anxiety, as in anxiety attacks about it, I asked my husband, Steve, “what in the world have I gotten myself into.” He answered, “You’re doing what God asked you to do.” Yes! Thank you! If God is behind it, I am privileged to be part of it. Lord, help me to get more comfortable being uncomfortable.

After finding the prayer and journaling about it, resonating with it for a while. I have come up with 10 things to help us answer the question of Why? Why would I want to become comfortable being uncomfortable?

1.    You grow!

Let’s face it, we would all like to stay in that cushy sweet spot, right? But the problem with that… You don’t stretch when you’re comfortable. If you are never stretching, you are never growing.

James 1:2 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.”

So, as I was journaling and reflecting on being so uncomfortable this last year and the idea that I may just have to get used to this feeling and serve the Lord anyway, I asked myself….

Have I grown in the last year?

Exponentially yes!

Am I still uncomfortable?

You betcha!

Am I still growing?

Yes!

2.    You learn obedience to God.

Do you know that song “Break My Heart for What Breaks Yours.”? You cannot sing the words to that song if you are not serious about going about the Lord’s business. I believe that is a prayer the Lord loves to answer.

Take Jonah for example, a not so good example for what happens to someone when they go the other way from God’s instructions.

Jonah 1: 1-2 “The word of the Lord came to Jonah, “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has  come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.

We all know what happened to Jonah when he ran away from what God asked him to do, right? There are consequences to disobedience and I don’t want to have to face them because that is a fate worse than being a little uncomfortable.

Sometimes when you go the other direction from God’s will or His truth, things could go much worse for you! Personally, even though it has been uncomfortable sometimes, I’m sticking with what I know God has asked me to do. I don’t want to risk the consequences of being disobedient to God! As long as the Lord continues to lay this mission on our hearts, my husband and I plan to go back every year to Zimbabwe and love on the people. 

I love this quote from Francis Chan, “God interrupt whatever we are doing so that we can join in what you are doing.” I don’t ever want to be outside of God’s will for my life.

Let your uncomfortable circumstances mold you into an obedient heart! Lean into it! Ask God, what are you teaching me today?

3.    You learn to pray.

I love that quote, “you learn to pray by praying!” It’s a learned art. It’s one of those things, you get into a circumstance that is totally outside of your comfort zone and you can really learn to pray! I have several favorite Bible passages that I have adapted through the years for prayers. One is out of the book of Ruth. This one works especially at night when your mind is working so fast so that you can’t get any sleep. My go to prayer is when Ruth goes to the threshing floor and lays down at Boaz’ feet. She then says the sweetest words…

Ruth 3:9 “Cover me, spread the corner of your garment over me for you are my kinsman redeemer.”

Ruth and Boaz were a type, a picture of our relationship to Jesus. Jesus is our kinsman redeemer. So I pray, “cover me Jesus!” when I am overwhelmed. Let your discomfort drive you to the feet of Jesus in prayer!

4.    You could inspire someone by being vulnerable

When you step out of your comfort zone and do what makes you uncomfortable, you might just inspire others to do the same. Don’t be afraid to share your story.

When I started this process of speaking and fundraising, I had to dig back into some painful memories. My family and I had to leave suddenly, evacuate, because of the revolutionary war in Zimbabwe in the late 70’s. It was traumatic. When we left the mission, I started crying and couldn’t stop, you know, the kind of hyperventilating crying when you can’t catch your breath. I struggled with PTSD and nightmares for a long time. I lost weight and would spiral into anxiety attacks. So when I started sharing my story and saying I was going to go back and love on the people and build a new medical clinic for them, I had to dip deep down into some pretty vulnerable areas and share my story with transparency and honesty. It was hugely uncomfortable for me to do that. But, you know what, the feedback I got, it inspired a lot of people and they responded to the need. As a result some very needy folks have a new clinic, because I was willing to be vulnerable and tell my story. You never know who needs to hear your story. So, get comfortable being vulnerable and be willing to share.

5.    You learn discernment

There are two pictures of water in the Bible that I want to look at briefly to illustrate this point. One is when Jesus meets the woman at the well in John 4 and the other is in the Old Testament in Jeremiah 2:13

John 4:13 Jesus answered “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Jeremiah 2:13 “My people have committed two sins: they have forsaken me, the spring of living water and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

Part of discernment is learning the difference between digging broken cisterns vs. going to the source of living water, Jesus. You see so many things that we might turn to in life to assuage our feelings, to medicate our discomfort, they are like that picture of being so thirsty but trying to dig for water in the hot sand in the desert or trying to fill up a broken cistern. The one thing, at least for me that tough times have done in my life, they have taught me discernment for where to turn. I have learned to turn to the source of living water, Jesus, my Lord and Savior, and not turn to the things that look like they might be nice, but like a mirage, they will disappear and leave you even thirstier than you were before. The tough times can teach you how to discern where to turn.

6.    You learn to live a life that pleases God

Colossians 1:10 “Live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.”

Let difficult times shape you into a person that pleases God. Live a life that God will reward. When I come to the end of my life, I want to hear those words promised to us, “Well, done, good and faithful servant! Enter into my joy!” Some translations say, “Enter into my rest!”

7.    Sometimes you find healing

Let’s be honest here, there are places that are very uncomfortable for us because we have been hurt or wounded in some way. Sometimes we carry around that pain for years or sometimes we bury it deep until something triggers it to surface again.

Our next Scripture is one that I truly cherish:

Isaiah 53:5 “By His wounds we are healed.”

When someone asks the question, why didn’t God intervene in this or that circumstance. Let me tell you, He did! He intervened when He allowed His son to be nailed on the cross. By His wounds we are healed.

One of my prayers in returning to Zimbabwe a few months ago was that the Lord would heal that deep place inside of me that had been wounded. In my greeting to the church at the mission where I grew up, I shared how we had stood in that same spot forty years ago and said goodbye. When we left, people gathered around and we all sang the song “Ave Nemwe Tionanezve” “God be with you till we meet again.” After the church service was over the day we visited, suddenly I heard someone in the back start to sing. I was so moved, they started to sing that song, “Ave Nemwe Tionianezve”, the prompting by God’s Holy Spirit and the kindness of that person who started the song… something very deep inside of me was touched in a healing way. God had been with them and he had been with me till we met again! It was beautiful and I am forever grateful.

Which leads me to my next point:

8.    You learn gratitude

This is what I wrote in my journal the night before we left on our trip to Zimbabwe. Dated February 18, 2018 “Last night when I fell asleep, I just thanked the Lord over and over, that’s all I prayed. Thank you dearest Lord for loving me and giving me the task to love on the people in Zimbabwe, especially that sweet community of people who live at the fork of the Dine’ and Wanezi Rivers. They thank you too, I think!” Then at the end of my journal I wrote, “Thank you dearest Lord for your watchcare, for your tender gifts to us, for healing some holes in my heart, for the folks who have supported this work and prayed for us! Thank you Lord!”

Don’t be like one of the nine lepers who after Jesus healed them, they went on their merry way. Be like the one who returned and thanked Jesus. Let discomfort teach you how to be grateful!

9.    You learn how to overcome fear

I have come to believe that fear is one of the biggest tools that the enemy of our souls uses against us. How many times are we held back by fear, or we have not done something that we felt that we should because we were afraid? Fear itself is so uncomfortable! The Scripture that I turn to over and over again when I am faced with fear is:

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

When the enemy throws that most uncomfortable of feelings in your face, fear, just quote this scripture to him and tell him to flee!

10. Remember, it is only temporary

Yeah, right! If I haven’t hit one of your hot buttons yet, this one will probably do it. You’ve heard many times the adage, “What will this matter in 10 or 20 years?” Well, it matters right now and right now is what I am dealing with!

The Scripture I am going to use for this point is:

2 Corinthians 4:17 “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”

Sometimes you have to go through the worst to get to the best, be patient. Learn to embrace the in between, the unsettledness, the discomfort, the uncertainty, the heartache, the trials of this life! Think of it like an old friend, “oh, it’s you again, I know you!” I made it through last time and I will do so again! Recognize your improvements, track your progress. If I ruminate 15 minutes this time instead of 3 hours, hey, I’m making progress. Realistically, probably more like 1 day instead of three, right? Take pride that you have been able to overcome. Once you embrace it, you will be surprised at what you will be able to accomplish. And realize this, we all feel the same way from time to time.

I Peter 1:6-7 says:

“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith – of great worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

Take courage from these words from the Apostle Peter.

In closing, I want to give you a challenge. Probably one of the most uncomfortable things to do is sharing your faith, sharing the gospel message with another person. My challenge to you today is: will you step out of your comfort zone, will you embrace the discomfort, will you commit to share your testimony with one other person this week? If you have never entrusted your life to Jesus Christ and accepted the living water that will quench the thirst in your soul, will you step out of your comfort zone and ask someone, “will you help me?” How do I do this? How do I give my life to Jesus?

So, what’s the key? Get comfortable feeling uncomfortable. Embrace it. You cannot let fear dictate your life or hold you back. Once you embrace the fear, you will be astounded at what you can accomplish!

As a closing prayer, let’s say this together,

“Lord, help me to get more comfortable being uncomfortable. More confident being uncertain. I don’t want to shrink back just because something isn’t easy. Lord, widen my boundaries to make room for the area in between I can’t and I can.”

Amen!