Warmth and Comfort
As I sit here in a Starbuck's on the canal in Bricktown, it is peculiarly warm for this time of year. It is a bright sunny day with a temp of 60 degrees, and is only getting warmer! There is a slight breeze and many people are hurriedly moving by looking for a spot in the sun. Like them, I like to be warm. When possible I always move toward the sun. I have always enjoyed basking in the sun; taking in the warmth of its rays. It is comfortable and pleasant, like a warm blanket on a winter day.
I am always trying to find a warm spot no matter where I am. I have a borderline psychotic desire to avoid being cold. I am so grateful for the heated seats in my car! They warm quickly and feel so comforting on a cold day. Warmth and comfort are something I find myself seeking often. I don't like to be uncomfortable in any way. At times I am consumed with the need to be as comfortable as possible. Because of this my bed is a dangerous place! It is warm. It is cozy. I feel like a worm in it's cocoon; all snug and at rest. As I have gotten older, I have found my bed an increasingly more difficult place to leave. Most of the time I find myself wanting to linger just a bit longer. I am not pleased with how I feel, thinking I will feel better if I get a little more sleep.
I am amazed and disgusted by how I can justify staying in bed a bit longer(and sometimes more than a bit). My internal arguments are swift and strong. They are crafted in well known words and targeted at my weakness. They may be silent, but their effect is as deadly as an assassin in terminating my best intentions and plans. I have lamented to God on many occasions about my struggle to get up when I know I need to. He is always gentle but firm in reminding me that many things in life are not easy; that nothing is really free. There is a price that must be paid for anything that is good; for anything that is worthwhile. Again, nothing is really free.
Nothing is gained without sacrifice. There is a price associated with everything we hope to do in life. I remember hearing as an athlete, "No pain, no gain!" As a spoiled brat, punk of a kid, I did not want to hear that. I gave when it suited me and did not cost too much but otherwise I ran from many sacrifices that were asked of me. I think I am not alone. Many lacking character in their lives run from the very things that would be a benefit to them. We cannot move forward without effort. However, we do not want to give effort when it is not convenient, on our terms, or immediately beneficial to us. We seek ease and comfort like water and food. We want the benefits that come from doing something hard but we are not willing to do what is hard to get the benefits. We want the impossible!
I cannot get something for nothing! As much as I want that to be possible, it is not. It is funny how I become so frustrated with others when they have this attitude! It is obviously silly! Even childish. I know almost as deeply as anything else I believe that sacrifice is a necessary part of life. That we cannot really experience life to it's fullest without sacrifice. As much as we seek to avoid it, we cannot experience the best parts of life without sacrifice. We cannot fully live, fully understand what it means to be human, unless we are willing to give of ourselves in a way that costs us something dear. We often know there is more to life than what we are currently experiencing but we are not willing to take a risk to find out if we are right.
This struggle and this attitude about sacrifice is part of being human. Thankfully though this is not how Jesus was characterized. In Philippians 2 verses 6 and 7 it says, "...He did not think that being equal with God was something to be used for His own benefit. But He gave up His place with God and made Himself nothing." I cannot grasp what that means fully because I will never know what it is to be God. However, what little bit I can imagine about the place that He enjoyed leads me to believe that His relinquishment was a tremendous sacrifice. An act of love that will never be rivaled in history! His leaving heaven to become a man was the ultimate act of laying down one's rights. We cannot comprehend what it cost Him. What makes Jesus even more my Hero is that He did not stop there. He laid is life down in every way while on the earth, ultimately laying down His very life! It has been called the greatest sacrifice, and it is. But those words some how seem hollow when speaking of what Jesus did. I think it would take a lifetime of pondering to begin to understand the depth of His love in giving of himself to us.
If His sacrifice was so great, why do I shrink back so much when I need to give up something that costs me personally? I wish I had an answer. At least one that makes me feel better about myself! The truth is if I want to experience all of that God has created me to, I must become more like Him. I must act like Jesus to be like Jesus. I must sacrifice to fully live life as He created me to. Comfort and warmth are only a part of what God has for me. I cannot give in to what is easy because there is another side of life that is only experienced on the other side of sacrifice. Let us be like Jesus and be willing to risk everything. To give of ourselves when it is not easy and might even hurt. Only then can we really know what it is to live the life that God intended for us. Only then can we be like Him and put His glory on display, so that others will desire to know about this great love.
I am always trying to find a warm spot no matter where I am. I have a borderline psychotic desire to avoid being cold. I am so grateful for the heated seats in my car! They warm quickly and feel so comforting on a cold day. Warmth and comfort are something I find myself seeking often. I don't like to be uncomfortable in any way. At times I am consumed with the need to be as comfortable as possible. Because of this my bed is a dangerous place! It is warm. It is cozy. I feel like a worm in it's cocoon; all snug and at rest. As I have gotten older, I have found my bed an increasingly more difficult place to leave. Most of the time I find myself wanting to linger just a bit longer. I am not pleased with how I feel, thinking I will feel better if I get a little more sleep.
I am amazed and disgusted by how I can justify staying in bed a bit longer(and sometimes more than a bit). My internal arguments are swift and strong. They are crafted in well known words and targeted at my weakness. They may be silent, but their effect is as deadly as an assassin in terminating my best intentions and plans. I have lamented to God on many occasions about my struggle to get up when I know I need to. He is always gentle but firm in reminding me that many things in life are not easy; that nothing is really free. There is a price that must be paid for anything that is good; for anything that is worthwhile. Again, nothing is really free.
Nothing is gained without sacrifice. There is a price associated with everything we hope to do in life. I remember hearing as an athlete, "No pain, no gain!" As a spoiled brat, punk of a kid, I did not want to hear that. I gave when it suited me and did not cost too much but otherwise I ran from many sacrifices that were asked of me. I think I am not alone. Many lacking character in their lives run from the very things that would be a benefit to them. We cannot move forward without effort. However, we do not want to give effort when it is not convenient, on our terms, or immediately beneficial to us. We seek ease and comfort like water and food. We want the benefits that come from doing something hard but we are not willing to do what is hard to get the benefits. We want the impossible!
I cannot get something for nothing! As much as I want that to be possible, it is not. It is funny how I become so frustrated with others when they have this attitude! It is obviously silly! Even childish. I know almost as deeply as anything else I believe that sacrifice is a necessary part of life. That we cannot really experience life to it's fullest without sacrifice. As much as we seek to avoid it, we cannot experience the best parts of life without sacrifice. We cannot fully live, fully understand what it means to be human, unless we are willing to give of ourselves in a way that costs us something dear. We often know there is more to life than what we are currently experiencing but we are not willing to take a risk to find out if we are right.
This struggle and this attitude about sacrifice is part of being human. Thankfully though this is not how Jesus was characterized. In Philippians 2 verses 6 and 7 it says, "...He did not think that being equal with God was something to be used for His own benefit. But He gave up His place with God and made Himself nothing." I cannot grasp what that means fully because I will never know what it is to be God. However, what little bit I can imagine about the place that He enjoyed leads me to believe that His relinquishment was a tremendous sacrifice. An act of love that will never be rivaled in history! His leaving heaven to become a man was the ultimate act of laying down one's rights. We cannot comprehend what it cost Him. What makes Jesus even more my Hero is that He did not stop there. He laid is life down in every way while on the earth, ultimately laying down His very life! It has been called the greatest sacrifice, and it is. But those words some how seem hollow when speaking of what Jesus did. I think it would take a lifetime of pondering to begin to understand the depth of His love in giving of himself to us.
If His sacrifice was so great, why do I shrink back so much when I need to give up something that costs me personally? I wish I had an answer. At least one that makes me feel better about myself! The truth is if I want to experience all of that God has created me to, I must become more like Him. I must act like Jesus to be like Jesus. I must sacrifice to fully live life as He created me to. Comfort and warmth are only a part of what God has for me. I cannot give in to what is easy because there is another side of life that is only experienced on the other side of sacrifice. Let us be like Jesus and be willing to risk everything. To give of ourselves when it is not easy and might even hurt. Only then can we really know what it is to live the life that God intended for us. Only then can we be like Him and put His glory on display, so that others will desire to know about this great love.
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