When Comfort Gets In The Way

Introverted and bashful, I was not a particularly brave kid. To stay in the background was way more comfortable for me. But as I look back over my youth, I do see several moments when I summoned the courage to stretch myself to make a drastic change. 

One of the earliest scenarios was on the playground when I grew tired of being a pawn on the chessboard of who was popular or not. What I remember most was the internal resolution and commitment I made myself. I could either be a puppet or do what I wanted to do. The status quo was no longer acceptable and I made a change.

Turns out it was great preparation for a faith journey and a decision I’d face later in life.

Have you reached a point of exasperation about something that’s been happening in your life too? Do you have a situation, a relationship, a habit that’s really just a downright thief – a robber? Stealing your joy, your peace, or productivity? Maybe even your sanity or worse, your faith? Are you at the crossroads moment? Are you ready to make a change?

Don’t rely on the courage you muster for yourself. Let God give you His courage for a spiritual healing journey and the transformation you desire. 

Brené Brown finds in her cultural shame research the very dilemma we face when we encounter a situation needing courage. The nemesis of courage happens to be comfort. She says, “We can choose courage or we can choose comfort, but we can’t have both. Not at the same time.”  

Courage misused will lead us to seek our own solutions which will usually end up in a worse scenario. We’ll usually choose our definition of comfort every time. I chose numbing, non-confrontational comfort which left me in prison of shame. We can, in our own wisdom, power down a path of self-love with self-help advice which culture applauds, but self-generated solutions will never bring us to where our soul longs to be. It will never lift the weight of sin off of us or cover our shame. God was always supposed to be the source from which we replenish our courage and to be our comfort.  2 Corinthians 1:3-4 – NLT 

Courage is God-given, just like everything else but with free will we get to direct the pursuits of our courage. The cultural definition of courage is the “quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.” (Dictionary.com) The kind of courage God gives us is different than the courage we muster in ourselves. God’s definition of courage is the wind, breath, spirit, and mind of God Himself. It’s the determination that trusts in God’s presence to be the assurance of what’s okay, not what we see with our eyes or around us or what people think about us. It’s His strength, His courage, His boldness, His bravery coming by the presence of His Holy Spirit inside us. Isaiah 40:28-31 – NLT  

Recognizing the whole truth and owning our true condition can be scary and painful but God’s love for us can never be broken or spoiled. But to be sure, it will take you into uncharted territory. 

God is the One who sees us through to the other side of whatever challenge or obstacle we face and not us. God-inspired courage is a determination to keep your mind focused on the bigger picture and gives us the strength to continue to say no to the persuasive arguments to stop and turn back to unhealthy comfortable situations. It’s resilience to avoid discouragement and a decision to cling to Him, not other things that are counterfeit and don’t rescue us. Ruth 1:18 – NLT  Ruth 1:14 – NLT  

The first thing to find reassurance in as you start your courage journey is that God uses every situation we’ve been through and redeems it. Romans 8:28 – NLT  This is a promise only for His children. This means that for all the mistakes we make, everything someone did that hurt us is going to be redeemed – that means to recapture, rescue, and recover – and something good is going to come from it. God will keep His promises.

 Are you assured you are His child?