You remember Bilbo Baggins in Tolkien’s The Hobbit? He had a nice little hobbit hole to call home on some prime real estate known as the Shire. Nobody to bother him. No worries. No problems. No struggles. He was living the life we all long for. He was comfortable.
That is until Gandalf and the dwarves burst in and make themselves at home. All of the sudden he is robbed of his comfort. He is angry. He is challenged to go on an adventure. To leave the confines of his comfort zone and go out into the world to face struggles, battles, and difficulties. To fight a battle that is not even his own.
Of course, he is reluctant, but eventually accepts the offer. He goes on an adventure and it ends up being a difficult journey, but a journey he needed to go on.
The Comfort Dilemma
I believe you have a purpose in life. And believe me it’s not to be comfortable. To be able to enjoy a few of the creature comforts life may afford you along the way is not the problem here. The danger you and I face is the desire to be comfortable. To confine ourselves to ourselves. To become trapped inside of our comfort zone.
We’re not made to be stuck inside the box. We need that adventure just as much as Bilbo did. It may be an entirely different journey than his, and it should be, but we must set out nonetheless.
Think about it. Can a seed ever grow inside of the packet? Of course not. It needs to be sown. That requires dirt, water, and the miracle of sunlight. The same is true for us. Sure it’s nice inside of our bubble, but until we get outside and get our hands dirty, until we get uncomfortable, face challenges, fail a few times, take a few risks, we will never grow. We will never live, much less be fully alive.
Too often we become comfortable. At work, in our marriage, with our kids, in our faith, in our leadership roles. After a few years of marriage the husband no longer feels he has to surprise his wife with flowers and gifts. The fire once felt during an initial conversion to Christ fades away after a few trials and the wear and tear of life. Leaders in business, in the family, at church all seem to become stuck in their ways and stop trying to do good.
They all have become comfortable. Instead of striving for greatness, they settle in complacency. They get comfortable. Too comfortable. And comfort has made of them a bunch of miserable failures. This is the danger of being comfortable.
The Much Needed Push in the Right Direction
I admit it is not easy. I talked about fear last week, so catch up if you need to. The first step is the hardest. The first few will probably be just as difficult. I remember my son learning to walk. He never gave up no matter how many times he would fall on his butt. Something in him was driving him, pushing him. We often need that push. Oftentimes we silence that voice within us. We quit before we even begin. We prefer being comfortable. It’s predictable. It’s nice. It’s boring.
There is a cure.
Look to Jesus. He inspired millions. He changed the world. Forever. Did He live a comfortable life? Not even close. He took tons of risks. He faced scores of struggles. He fought many battles, both internal and external.
Look at His disciples. Let’s take Peter for example. When Jesus first spots Peter he sees a fisherman. It was by no means a poor trade, but Peter admits that he hasn’t been doing very well. He hasn’t caught anything. Then Jesus gets in His boat and tells him to “put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Peter explains:
“Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.”
~ Luke 5:5
Peter was comfortable before Jesus ever climbed into his boat. But he was also boring. He was average. He was nothing special. He wasn’t who he was created to be. He was just another fisherman. It wasn’t until he was pushed, challenged by the Lord to go beyond his comfort, to “put out into deep water” that he began the journey that led him to greatness, to sainthood.
Triumph or Tragedy?
My wife and I bought a caterpillar at the kid’s museum a few weeks ago. Last week we attempted to release the newly emerged butterfly only to find that he couldn’t fly. His wings had been damaged by falling into the water and sugar mixture that she was instructed to put in the cage for it to eat. The caterpillar we had watched transform into a butterfly couldn’t fly. What a tragedy.
Nobody comfortable ever changed the world. Nobody comfortable ever inspired anybody. The danger of being comfortable is that we will never become who we were created to be. You see you and I were made for more than being comfortable.
“The world promises you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.”
~ Pope Benedict XVI
I believe that you and I were made to become saints. Until we are able to step out of our comfort zones and pursue our purpose with a passion, we will never become who we were created to be. That is a tragedy.
In the end there are two options: Be comfortable or be a saint. What’ll it be?