In or out of our comfort zone?

At a conference I attended last year, a fellow church leader referred to people in his congregation being 'comfortable'. This was clearly perceived as a negative thing.

Whilst I could understand where he was coming from, I also found myself reacting against this. I pointed out that there were people I knew whose lives were very stressful and uncomfortable in many ways, people who faced very significant challenges in their daily lives. If for them church is a place where they can catch their breath, where they can find peace and stillness, and be reminded that God is with them and for them - if this is so, then I will feel we have done our job well.

In a slightly different vein, there is a brand of rugged Christianity which says that serving God is always going to be tough - if you're not being persecuted, you're not being up-front enough about your faith - if you enjoy what you're doing for God, you're probably doing it for the wrong reasons etc. OK, it's a bit of a caricature - but maybe not too far from the truth. By contrast, it seems to me that following Jesus means offering who we are to God in service. It means discovering those things that we're good at - those things which bring us joy and make us more fully alive - and making those things available to God. It's OK to enjoy our faith!!

But there is a tension here - on the one hand between the way life should be and the way it actually is - and also between being who we are and becoming who we are meant to be. And so sometimes, whether through the circumstances or through our own need to grow (or both), we will find ourselves outside of our comfort zone.

One of the ways this works for me is through serving as a Street Pastor, as I did last Friday night. I'm usually a bit nervous before I go out and find the whole thing quite challenging. I think it's because of a sense of venturing into the unknown - into a sub-culture which is not mine, where anything might happen.

So why do I do it? Well, for one thing, when I'm actually out on the streets, I do enjoy it. I feel it's something I can do. I do it because it stretches me, prevents me becoming too comfortable (in an unhelpful way). And I do it because for a few hours, it gives us the opportunity to connect with people who are unlikely to show up at church any time soon.

Our consumer culture says 'seek first your own comfort and wellbeing'; Jesus said 'Seek first the kingdom of God - and all these things will be added to you ... Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.' (Matt 6:33; 16:25)

It's not about comfort - it's about LIFE!!