Friday, August 21, 2009

Prep Work - 1: The Comfortable Trap

I can't really call these lessons...more like reflections.

SHE Revolution Women's conference is a mere three weeks off.

I am extremely aware that I am not ready for it. The fallow ground needs to be broken; the callouses (which re-form with amazing speed!) softened. I'm comfortable within the bounds of normal, and that makes me frustrated with myself.

Because the more time I spend in this Christian thing, the more I realize that 'comfortable' is not a good place.

Anyway, our Staff Prayer speaker this week was one of our youth pastors. She spoke about the verse that says 'For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God' (Romans 3:23). Speaking to pastors and church staff, she pointed out that most of us have dealt with the sin issue: we know what we ought and ought not to do. But, she said, we still fall short of the glory that God has for us.

That was a new application of that verse to me and it really started me thinking. Walking in the glory of God is exciting, exhilarating, amazing and often terrifying. It is also extremely uncomfortable.

But our human nature wants to be secure and comfortable. I was reminded of Numbers chapter 32, in which the Reubenites, Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh elected to stay on the east side of the Jordan...where they were comfortable...rather than taking everything across the Jordan and settling in the land of God's promise. They'd been moving and wandering for 40 years...and now, with the promise just across the river, they decided to quit.

How often do I look at some area of my life, and, even subconsciously think, 'This is ok here,' rather than pulling up stakes and moving yet again, perhaps even for the final time, into the promise. And I stop short of the glory.

Food for thought.

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