I Dare Ya to Linger in the Uncomfortable

I am reading a new book.  Which means I'm currently reading five books.  There are two separate devotional-type books in addition to that.  And, I'm reading another book with my eldest daughter.

I blog a lot about stuff I read, don't I.  Well, hopefully ya'll don't mind that too much.

Reading makes me think.  I like reading and thinking, so I do a lot of it.  I suppose I come by it naturally, because I can't think of anyone in my family of origin that ISN'T a reader.  My only living grandma (miss you, GG) only ever stops reading to sleep and my other grandma passed away with an IMPRESSIVE personal library and I know she read each and every tome cover to cover.  My dream job would be getting paid to read, and I'd accept a very modest salary for doing that job.  I don't know if I have any qualifications that would make me a good professional reader, but if you know of anyone who needs to hire one, send 'em my way, okay?

Just in case you're curious, the four other books I'm reading are:

1. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
2. Ms. Understood by Jen Hatmaker
3. The Big Truck that Went By: How the World Came to Save Haiti and Left Behind a Disaster by Jonathan M. Katz
4. The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

The devotional books are:

1. The One Year Mother-Daughter Devo by Dannah Gresh
2. Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

And the book I'm reading with Danielle is Wonder by RJ Palacio.

While I'm on this book-list kick, let me also share what I'm reading with my students, starting with the youngest kiddos first:

1. The Frog and Toad collection by Arnold Lobel
2. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
3. Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
4. The View from Saturday by EL Konigsburg
5. Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

Anyway.... The book that's got me thinking today is a book I've decided to read for Lent.  It's called 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess--another by Jen Hatmaker.

I've only gotten through the introduction so far, but Lent is what--like, 40 days long or something like that, so I've got plenty of time to read and think and share with you.  (Anyone feel like reading along with me?)

So, in the introduction, Jen talks a bit about being comfortable and uncomfortable.  She talks about how God introduced a new direction in her life and at first it was very uncomfortable, but it slowly became very comfortable.  She says:
     "[Our] transformation did not come cheaply or without pain.  We suffered loss--relationships, reputation, position, security, approval, acknowledgment--all the stuff I used to crave. But here is what I gave up the least: comfort.  I might have disagreed two years ago when having a conversation with a homeless man was the most uncomfortable situation I could envision.  When God first sent us to serve the poor, every moment was awkward.  Each confrontation was wrought with anxiety...
     However, God changed me and grafted genuine love for the least into my heart.  I looked forward to every encounter, rejected service that was labor-intensive rather than relationally focused. I became a girl who loved the marginalized.  I couldn't get enough of them in my personal space."

I think that God intentionally nudges us into experiences and roles that are UNcomfortable because He wants to change us.  He wants things that are UNcomfortable to become comfortable.

Think about it.  What's been going on in your life lately that has caused you some discomfort?  Not the yucky, seedy kind of uncomfortable, but the uncomfortable that showers you with new realizations keeps you thinking from new perspectives day and night.

Instead of running from that uncomfortable thing, try leaning into it.  Linger there a while.  I dare you. I'm daring myself!

It's possible that God wants to bless us through it in ways we can't imagine right now.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."