I think a common misconception that we as Christians have is the thought that everything is supposed to be smooth sailing once we accept Christ into our hearts. As I continued to grow in my relationship with God I realized that was not the case. I quickly learned that growing deeper in God was uncomfortable and although I wanted to grow spiritually, when it came time to do so I hated the way it felt. I was constantly being stretched and taken out of my comfort zone. I had plenty of those Sweet Brown moments when I told God, “AIN’T NOBODY GOT TIME FO’ DAT!” I didn’t want to be challenged to do more and that’s where the discomfort came from. I’m sure that you all know that when God begins to stretch you, it is not pleasant at all. It can actually be pretty frustrating at times. But what I have learned is that the discomfort never really goes away. So, as such, here are a few things that you should learn to get comfortable being uncomfortable with as a Christian:
1. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable with the growth process.
You are going to have spiritual growing pains. There are going to be issues and situations that are going to cause you to step out of your comfort zone. As much discomfort that it brings just remember the purpose behind it: to prune and groom you to be more like Christ. You’ll probably have a few, “Why me Lord?” moments and it will suck at times but it is all working out for your good. The process is never going to go away so you may as well learn to deal with it. (It sounds harsh but it’s the truth…sorry LOL)
2. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable around certain people and situations.
This was something that I kind of learned the hard way. After I rededicated my life to Christ I was slowly weaning myself out of my old lifestyle but it took me a while to stop going to bars. I had given up drinking but still went to them to socialize. However, I noticed that when I went there, I felt sooo out of place. The music, the environment, even the people I was around no longer did anything for me. Everything that I used to enjoy felt so weird. It was as if my senses were heightened and I became more aware of my surroundings. I felt like an outsider in those places and as much as I wanted it to feel like old times, it didn’t. Over time, the closer you get to God the more you outgrow your old ways and even the people that you used to hang with. So don’t be surprised if you start to feel weird being around or doing the things that you used to…it should feel uncomfortable. That’s just a sign of your growth and as you continue to do so, your tolerance for things will become less and less.
3. Get comfortable with doing things that you do not want to do.
From past experiences, I’ve learned that God likes to make you do this A LOT. This may include not going somewhere that you want to go or being nice to someone that you are not particularly fond of. It could also pertain to praying or fasting more. For example, there was a time when I didn’t want to pray at all. I knew I needed to do it but I just did not want to. So I would dread having personal devotional time with God but I would keep telling Him that I wanted to know Him better. One day, I finally thought about it and was like, “How do I expect to know Him better if I won’t even talk to Him?” There goes that stepping out of your comfort zone idea again. It was difficult at first but once I got used to doing it, it became easier. But just as God would have it, once I got comfortable with praying privately He then pushed me to start praying publicly in various settings which was another thing that I did NOT want to do. Do you see the cycle? There’s always going to be something that you do not want to do but it’s necessary for your growth.
Now, I’m not trying to scare you and make it seem like you are going to be dealing with excruciatingly painful discomfort every single day. I just want to let you know that growing with God is not a cakewalk and it was never meant to be. Things are going to feel uncomfortable at times but that is normal. So don’t run from it or throw in the towel when you start to feel it. Man up (or woman up? LOL) and embrace it.
