“God cares more about your healing and growth than he does
about your comfort." When I first
heard it, I cringed. The thought
unsettled me. I like to think that God
wants me comfortable and happy.
Consequently, I started checking the Bible to see if maybe, just maybe,
this person was wrong. I thought of the
Children of Israel at the Red Sea. He
did not give them a get out of trial free card.
Nope, they had to go through the sea.
He wanted them to trust him and not turn back. I thought of the times in the New Testament
when Jesus said things that seemed harsh.
It occurred to me that possibly some of what we see as harshness is only
Jesus loving the person enough to care more about their spiritual condition than
about their comfort. Wow! I think we live
in a time where we are so afraid of hurting someone that we fail to say what
they need to hear. A few years back, I
was pushing 200 pounds. I would get on
the scale look at it and then whine about how fat was getting. However, that was as far as it went. Finally, one day my daughter looked at me and
said, “Well, what are you going to do about it?” That hurt; it was uncomfortable. It was also just what I needed to get me off my
rear and do what I needed to do to lose the extra weight. The most loving thing she did was say what
seemed cruel at that moment. How often
do we care enough about the people we know to say the hard things that may make
us unpopular with them for a time so that they may develop as a Christian? Often, I fear I am guilty of not being bold
enough to risk saying the tough things.
My goal is to be strong enough that if I know, what I need to say is for
their growth and not meant to tear them down; I will speak the words they need
to hear. Then I will help them grow and
encourage them. God helped the
Israelites cross the Red Sea. Jesus also
extended help to those who truly wanted his help. I should also add that my daughter became my
biggest cheerleader and encourager when I started to lose the weight. Growth is not always comfortable.“God cares more about your healing and growth than he does
about your comfort." When I first
heard it, I cringed. The thought
unsettled me. I like to think that God
wants me comfortable and happy.
Consequently, I started checking the Bible to see if maybe, just maybe,
this person was wrong. I thought of the
Children of Israel at the Red Sea. He
did not give them a get out of trial free card.
Nope, they had to go through the sea.
He wanted them to trust him and not turn back. I thought of the times in the New Testament
when Jesus said things that seemed harsh.
It occurred to me that possibly some of what we see as harshness is only
Jesus loving the person enough to care more about their spiritual condition than
about their comfort. Wow! I think we live
in a time where we are so afraid of hurting someone that we fail to say what
they need to hear. A few years back, I
was pushing 200 pounds. I would get on
the scale look at it and then whine about how fat was getting. However, that was as far as it went. Finally, one day my daughter looked at me and
said, “Well, what are you going to do about it?” That hurt; it was uncomfortable. It was also just what I needed to get me off my
rear and do what I needed to do to lose the extra weight. The most loving thing she did was say what
seemed cruel at that moment. How often
do we care enough about the people we know to say the hard things that may make
us unpopular with them for a time so that they may develop as a Christian? Often, I fear I am guilty of not being bold
enough to risk saying the tough things.
My goal is to be strong enough that if I know, what I need to say is for
their growth and not meant to tear them down; I will speak the words they need
to hear. Then I will help them grow and
encourage them. God helped the
Israelites cross the Red Sea. Jesus also
extended help to those who truly wanted his help. I should also add that my daughter became my
biggest cheerleader and encourager when I started to lose the weight. Growth is not always comfortable.
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