Comfort... it's Overrated!

Even Jude likes "comfortable"... hanging close to
the wall at the playground in fear of letting go

Isn't it just so stinking true that we love to be comfortable... in everything really?! We love for our lifestyles to be comfortable, for our relationships to be comfortable, and for our faith to be comfortable. It stirs things up in our stomachs when we're challenged to step outside our comfort zones and live, act, and respond in a way that disturbs our grip on our normal, likable life. As a matter of fact, I'd venture to say it makes some of us (including me) flat out mad at times to have such a challenge in front of us. What it boils down to, and I hate that it's true, is that we're all selfish, in one way or another- preferring to live in a "me-centered" world that requires no change, unless of course it was our idea to begin with.

As I mentioned a couple posts below, Joshua got me the book Radical by David Platt for Christmas. I know several of you have already read this- and I'm sure you'd agree... there are times you'd like to chuck it across the room out of conviction! When God's truth stares you in the face, it's uncomfortable... and life-changing... and GOOD. As Christian's, I think it's safe to say, we're all guilty of "giving into the dangerous temptation to take the Jesus of the Bible and twist him into a version of Jesus we are more comfortable with." Because when the Jesus of the Bible stares us in the face... it requires letting go of our plans, our agendas, our comfort, and recklessly abandoning our life to Him. Makes total sense that the name of the book is Radical- Jesus' commandments for Christians are radical and... full of blessings if we'd just trust Him!

I don't know much about radical living (besides the fact that I've probably tried to avoid it most my life). This whole adoption thing is about as radical as Joshua and I have ever gone. And it's not the idea of adoption itself that is so crazy (loving Isa as my own doesn't scare me)- the radical part of this journey has been that it was never our plan. God flipped our plans upside down when we simply asked Him to break our hearts for what break His (careful what you pray for!). The radical part of this adoption journey has simply been setting our life story aside saying, "We'll trust you God, We'll be obedient, We'll get uncomfortable" all the while begging Him to lead the way. So I can sit here here today with confidence and say that His story is far better than the story I was writing for myself! His story if full of incredible, incredible blessings!

For quite some time now I've felt as if this journey to Isa is just the tip of the iceberg. God is working in so many other facets to this story, half of which I'm sure I don't even know. So when I read a book like Radical, it makes the adoption seem like we've just scratched the surface of our radical living- and that as long as we continue to desperately seek Him as the author of our story- He has far better things to write! And I'm learning to be okay with uncomfortable, when it means that I'm a part of God's will- actually desiring uncomfortable, knowing that His blessings are far better than that of the world.

I don't know what the rest of the "iceberg" looks like yet  for our family. We're not moving to Ethiopia tomorrow or anything... but who knows down the road! We do know for certain, that for today- He's calling us to take care of the orphans, by adopting Isa and sharing our story. And so we continue to pray for His truth to stare us in the face, even when it's uncomfortable, and we pray for the strength to respond!