I’ve been standing on a mountain, and across from me stands another with a valley in between. And on it is a huge, hairy beast, taunting me. I try my hardest to drown out his yells, but no matter how far I run, I hear him ringing in my ears. This giant I know all to well, and maybe you know him too, his name is complacency. This giant may not seem like that big of a deal, but that’s what he does best, making you think that nothing is that big of a deal at all.
My entire senior year, I longed to be where I am now. Traveling the world, serving the Lord and bringing His kingdom, and having “the experience of a lifetime.” But now here I am, I’ve been away from home for 5 months, and have claimed India to be home for the last month of my life, and this giant I’ve faced for far too long is screaming in my face. It looks something like this: waking up in the morning, and going through the motions, not really feeling sad, but not really feeling any joy either. It’s being unimpressed, uninspired, having a lack of joy, being stuck, laziness, boredom, whatever you want to call it, it consumes you. It’s being neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm. But let me tell you something, complacency produces absolutely nothing for you, through you, or in you. The Lord showed me this through a sermon from my home church West Bowles that I had sat in months before, but completely forgot about until I needed it most on my race.
It talked about how even the disciples faced this giant. It all starts in John chapter 21. It talks about the disciples just finishing 3 years of ministry with Jesus (Jesus had already been resurrected at this point), and one day they had decided to go fishing. It seems harmless right? They are just going fishing. However, they were resorting to what was easy. As we know, Jesus had found them in their boat and called them to drop their nets and follow him just 3 years prior. And in this moment, these men who had just witnessed EVERYTHING Jesus had done, raising people from the dead, healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, were resorting back to where they started. Maybe because they were bored, maybe because they didn’t want to face the world and it was just easier. The last month of my life, going “fishing” was scrolling through Instagram, or watching a movie, or playing a game on my phone, because it was just easier. In this, we aren’t necessarily depressed, but we just aren’t feeling it, we do what comes easy, we sit in our boat and resort to what to old habits, what doesn’t require much thought or effort.
However, you keep reading and it says that they caught nothing that night. But in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore and told them to cast out their nets again. So they did, and they weren’t able to even haul it because of how much fish they caught. Again, complacency, doing what is easy, produces nothing. But our God loves us enough to interrupt our complacency and give us abundant life. He doesn’t want to leave us in the boat when he has called us to SO much more.
In this story, the disciples could’ve been out doing what God has called them to do. They could’ve been doing ministry, healing people, loving the lowly, but instead they were dwelling in this boat. However, your enemy knows that if he can get you not to care, then you won’t live out your mission God has called you to. And I promise you, God has so much more for us than just scrolling through Instagram, he has so much more than a routine, so much more than going through the motions of life, so much more than just going “fishing”. We don’t have time to “fish” when we’ve been called to be fishers of men. He made us for such a purpose. And that is to go and tend to his sheep, to pour our hearts into people, to minister and pray for those who need it.
So, if you are struggling with complacency, look up from your boat. Jesus is RIGHT THERE on the shore, inviting you into abundance that he offers. Not anything we try and do to cure our complacency will compare to what the Lord gives. Not a new car, not new clothes, not going on a vacation, not going on the world race gap year, nothing will give us the abundant life Jesus gives, and that’s living out his mission for us and pursuing him with our FULL HEARTS!
Lord, I pray so hard for the people reading this post. I pray that it speaks to those who are being overcome by this giant known as complacency. I pray that they would know why they are on this earth in the first place. It’s not to do cool things, or get new stuff, or please our own desires Lord, it’s to live out your calling. And that’s to bring your people home Lord. For our enemy knows that if he can get us not to care, we won’t live out our mission. I pray that those who just aren’t motivated Lord, for those when they wake up the day ahead of them feels like a mountain they have to climb, for those who are stuck in the everyday routine, for those who can’t seem to find joy no matter how hard they try Lord. I’ve been there too. And I just pray that they would look up Lord, and see that your right there on the shore, waiting for them. And they would realize that you offer so much more than a 9-5 job, you offer so much more than routine, you offer so much more than just average. You offer ABUNDANT life, joy, peace, salvation, purpose, comfort, and everlasting love that no one or thing can fulfill Lord but you. I pray that you would interrupt them in their complacency, and show them that you offer so much more. In your Sons holy and mighty name, AMEN!
