Stained Glass

“People are like stained - glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in; their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” -Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

It’s so easy to get comfortable in life. Now I don’t mean comfortable as in a warm blanket comfortable, I’m thinking more of a relaxed, safe feeling. You have your house, your job, your family, your tv, plenty of food to eat; everything is “perfect.” That’s what our culture teaches us, to be comfortable and relaxed; work, work, work so you can buy more stuff. Go through the motions to have more “things”. Things don’t last, but adventures do. Recently in my life I've felt too comfortable. I've lived in the same town, same house my whole life. I've traveled all over the world but that only lasts for a couple weeks and then I’m right back to comfortable. Recently I've felt a nudge from God, a whisper to my soul, to seek more and to not fear getting uncomfortable. The definition for uncomfortable is:

1. Experiencing physical discomfort. 2. Ill at ease; uneasy. 3. Causing anxiety; disquieting.

Think of all the uncomfortable situations Jesus was in. He ate supper with men who swindled the poor, he healed people with leprosy, he went from town to town staying in strangers homes, and he was murdered for people who did not deserve his kindness or his mercy. He lived an uncomfortable life. But his life was wonderful, inspiring, and beautiful. Jesus’ life was an adventure. Think about how his life would have been if he had stayed in Bethlehem from the day he was born working to have a home, never seeking the broken, and using the gift of the Holy Spirit, the same spirit that lives inside of us. What if he didn’t follow the adventure and the journey God laid out for him? Thousands of people would have gone unhealed and generations of people wouldn't have experienced the love and the passion of an intimate relationship with our heavenly father. The bible tells us, and Jesus tells us, to live a life like he did. He says to be imitators of him. (1 Corinthians 11:1).

“Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” 1 john 2:6

The quote I gave at the beginning is a great example of who we can be. You may sparkle and shine at your church or in the same town you’ve lived in your whole life. Maybe you sparkle and shine with your group of friends because that’s where you feel most comfortable. What happens though when you leave the sunshine and enter into a dark world, will your light shine then? I want my light to shine bright in those dark places, I want it to bring hope and love to those who have been consumed by the darkness. I can’t do that if I’m constantly surrounded by other lights. So here’s to mixing my life up, a new season, and an adventure; here’s to being uncomfortable. God will open doors up if you ask him too, he wants to take you on an amazing adventure. Don’t let being comfortable steal this away from you, YOU are meant to shine.

This post is dedicated to Andrew Matthews for reminding that life isn’t about being comfortable but taking chances and trusting God. Thanks for reminding me that life is an adventure. I love you so very much.