This is a phrase that I commonly associate with the military but within the last week this seems to be something that God has been showing me is a phrase that I too often say. “Sergeant (God) we have a problem…”. I say this too often to God with my life now. Why? Well that’s easy, because I am facing things that are out of my comfort zone. I am faced with a very obvious awareness that the time I have left in my life as I know it, is fleeting. Over the last week I have become very aware of a problem that not only I have but that I have a feeling the majority of people I come in everyday contact with have as well, and that’s being too comfortable.
Growing up in a southern state in America for me means that it is weird if someone was not a christian. The idea of following God was very present. I did not fear for my life everyday, in fact plenty of nights I remember thinking that waking up the next day was going to simply be handed to me like I deserved a next day. I expected a car when I got my license, I expected food on the table everyday, I expected a lot and when it didn’t happen right away it still eventually happened. I have basically received any and all luxuries within reason, causing a life of comfort. Those things are normal in America and not for the reason of they are necessary but because as a society we want it all. I have never questioned any of this until the last couple weeks as I try to wrap my mind around how drastically my life will change and why God is choosing me to take this adventure. I have come to realize that it is because I am too comfortable and living a life a safety. I have come to realize that when he does push me to do something different I say, “well… sergeant we have a problem…that’s not something I’m comfortable doing”, and I end up not doing it. Truth is, I am fearful of what I’m not used to and because of this I don’t really do anything that isn’t in my everyday routine. But guess what, making disciples of Jesus and the spreading of his word won’t happen unless there are people willing to do things that no one else has done and are willing to take a chance.
Jesus took actual fishermen around and had them spread his Word. Was talking and spreading their beliefs part of their everyday life before Jesus, while fishing in boats? Highly unlikely, but they changed what their norm was, they got uncomfortable to reach those that needed to be reached and to help change the world. I hear those stories and I think great for them and I don’t apply it to myself and that’s exactly the problem. I, and probably you too, don’t always apply the very obvious ways of life that Jesus showed us to our own and instead live life in a way that we are used to. Saying we must live like Jesus isn’t enough, you have to do it. Much like saying you care for someone, you can say it all you want but if you don’t show it the words don’t mean anything. And for me I have been convicted of the fact that I have not been willing to be uncomfortable and do the hard things that are necessary for God’s word to be spread.
God always has a way of answering our prayers, so when I started praying for different eyes to see the world I did not know what to expect. But now I am very aware that for me having different eyes means seeing that being uncomfortable is better. It is desirable to me. I don’t want to live a life full of safety. I want to take chances when I feel called to do something even if it is “weird” or “strange”. With saying this I have a specific example that happened maybe a month or so ago that this past week has been thrown into the forefront of my memory. So here it goes because I love examples…
The Sumter Area Young Life took a fall weekend retreat to Camp Bob Cooper. There were a ton of people there but the only person that ya’ll really need to understand for this story is a friend of mine named Wyche. So basically on one of the days there we had all this free time and everyone was playing all these different games and he was throwing the football with some other guys. I didn’t see what happened but eventually we all saw him on the ground grabbing his knee in agony (which I totally get from my own personal weird knee problems). I didn’t know what happened specifically to his knee and neither did anyone else really. But we knew he was hurt and he had to have support to get over to a bench to sit on. I asked him how he was a couple of times and he said he was fine, but it was obvious he wasn’t. So later I asked him again when we were all in the club room waiting for the speaker and he said its not fine but I don’t want to talk about it. He didn’t mean it rude or anything but that just further got me thinking okay like he really isn’t doing well. Anyway during the talk I was sitting next to him and I had this thought and it was like a voice in my head just like “hey, you should put your hand on his knee and pray for healing”. I was like wow strange thought…WEIRD, but then I couldn’t shake it. I kept having the idea and it got to the point where I started giving myself reasons of why I couldn’t do it. I was thinking things like he might think its weird, there are a ton of people around, I don’t want to “cause a scene”, just all these different thoughts. Through all of these thoughts I just kept having this voice say “just do it SC, just do it, just put your hand on his knee and pray, come on just do it”. I ended up not doing it, and I regret that. That moment hasn’t gone out of my head since and I just think to myself gahhhh SC what if you would have just done it? What could have happened? Would he have been healed? The worst that could have happened is I would have lifted up a prayer for him and nothing happen right away and that isn’t a bad outcome at all!
This example to say that the only reason I thought it was weird to do something like this is because I’m too comfortable with my day to day life, my “world” that I live in. I am too comfortable with not taking risks. I am too comfortable saying no when it comes to God pushing me. I regret not taking the risk of faith to just put my hand on his knee and praying for healing, I regret that I didn’t trust God in the moment, and I regret having the thought that me being comfortable was a better outcome. But I know if I would have done it I wouldn’t regret it.
So for me this has been my prayer and if it applies to your life as well I pray this for you too.
God, give me faith that allows me to go beyond what I am used to and what I think is normal. Give me strength to know that all of your plans are better than my own. Give me a peace and comfort with knowing that I don’t always have to be okay with what you call me to do because you are always with me and never forsake me. Help the different eyes that I want to have for the world continue to grow. Show me things that you want to teach me. Help me to listen to even the little things you call me to do. Give me a spirit of faithfulness and excitement rather than of fearfulness. Show me ways that I can live a life where I am uncomfortable even here in my hometown. I know I don’t have to wait till I’m on the race, and I know I don’t have to wait to be engulfed in the unknown to base my life on the unknown of what you have in store for me. Give me signs, show yourself to me in new ways because sometimes I need it to be obvious. Thank you for pointing this out to me. Please continue to push me in this area of my life and please test me in this area so that I can grow in you more. Your the bomb and the way you made this new view of life so obvious to me put me in awe. Please continue to do that. I love you
P.S. I did ask permission to use Wyche’s name for anyone wondering, I think it’s more personal to use the real name when I can but that’s just my preference. Also just in case you happen to read this Wyche, I am sorry I didn’t take a leap of faith and pray over your knee in that moment. I hope it’s healing well and I hope that if I am called to do that again that I will be brave enough to take God up on the offer of wanting to use me
May you all have a blessed day and thank you for reading part of my life as I prepare for the World Race and share what God lays on my heart. Over and out
