The Biblical case for embracing the uncomfortable

One of the most loved and longstanding BBC dramas is Death In Paradise.

For those who have never watched it, it’s a very light-hearted murder mystery set in Saint Marie (real-life Guadeloupe) in the Caribbean. A stunning backdrop, a loveable cast and the occasional, "I recognise their face from somewhere" guest actor. It’s been a winning formula for 15 series straight.

A fun fact about the show is the statistics would indicate that vacation bookings to the Caribbean spike when the show is airing.

'I want to get away'

You can imagine it. Someone returns home after a stressful day in the office. The commute home has been hectic. They pour themselves a glass of red, put their feet up in front of the telly ready to watch whatever is on.

Their eyes get a glimpse of the scenic backdrop of the Caribbean island and they think to themselves, as Lenny Kravitz famously sang, I want to get away.

We value comfort and ease. We like it when life feels manageable. Our income is steady. The job is secure. The bank account is settled. The kids are behaving. Our relationships are harmonious. Our stress levels are down. Sleep is sound. Our families are happy. Everyone and everything is playing nice. "Cushty" as Del Boy would say.

Uncomfortable, or impatient?

Jen Wilkin once said that: "The world’s solution to the problem of impatience is not to develop patience, but to eliminate as many situations that require it as possible."

That’s a gem of an insight. In fact, you could easily substitute the word "impatient" for "uncomfortable". We’re conditioned to think that if something is uncomfortable then we must be doing something wrong.

Do you see that subtle desire for comfort in your own heart at times? I know I see it in mine.

I am, at times, desperate for a comfortable life.

So here’s a question to prayerfully chew on: What if uncomfortable is exactly where Jesus wants us to be? Could it be the case that in our most uncomfortable moments He has the deepest and most loving of lessons to teach us?

How rarely do we pause to think like that.

In Scripture, Jesus disturbs the comfortable and comforts the uncomfortable

There’s a lot of comfortable people in the Bible who Jesus disturbs.

The rich man who ignored the plight of Lazarus and who was told when he arrived in Hades that in his life he had already received his good things.

The farmer who, having built bigger barns, sat back saying to himself, "Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." The world says bravo. Jesus says you fool.

Equally, there’s a lot of disturbed people in the Bible who Jesus comforts. Consider Mary and Martha in John 11, "Lord, If you had been here my brother would not have died!"

Consider the words of the desperate and heartbroken father asking Jesus to heal his demon-possessed son, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9v24)

Jesus is a Saviour who comforts the disturbed - as He meets them in their place of disturbance and anxiety - with His tender love and sovereign grace.

Leaning into an uncomfortable church environment

We can even subtly begin to see the goal of church along the comfort lines.

I’ve lost count of the number of idealistic conversations I’ve had about church life based on Acts 2. Isn’t relational harmony a tell-tale sign of a healthy church? Well, not necessarily. After all, it could just be an artificial product of our arm’s-length relational proximity to each other.

The New Testament presents for us a much more earthy and realistic view of corporate church life together. It exhorts us to see bearing with one another as a way we’ll grow together. Words like "longsuffering", "reasonableness", "gentleness" and "humility" indicate that life together won’t always be easy.

It will often be marked by tension and miscommunication.

At times it will be awkward and messy.

However, it is the primary God-ordained training ground for the Spirit growing us in Christlikeness.

Embrace the uncomfortable

The New Testament emphasis is not to get away from but rather to press into one another in love as we embrace the uncomfortable. That is often the space where the Spirit both reveals our shallow roots and casts us upon an all-sufficient Jesus who is more than enough.

"Joy of the comfortless, light for the straying
Hope of the penitent, peace in our strife
Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying
'My yoke is easy, My burden is light.'"
(Lyrics from Come unto Jesus)