Discomfort Zone

Obeying God is not always a walk in the park. Sometimes, it’s a flight for your life.

After baby Jesus was born, an angel appeared to Joseph and told him grab his family and flee to Egypt so they can escape the infanticide that Herod was going to order. If you think that story is simple and easy, imagine moving to a foreign country in a hurry. Chances are that you can’t do all the packing in one night, especially if your wife just gave birth to a child and your makeshift house is a mess after you got invaded by a herd of shepherds and philosophers you didn’t even know.

Joseph and Mary’s flight to Egypt was never easy. Was it even safe for a mother with a newborn child to ride on camels and cross the vast desert? Don’t babies need proper air conditioned rooms and soft baby clothes? Didn’t they need to sort out their bank accounts first, consult with the ob/gyn, and manage email forwarding?

Yet they did it all in the name of faith and obedience to the God who knew better than they did. No matter how uncomfortable it might have been. No matter how difficult it was.

Maybe we’re defining faith the wrong way today. I know a number of people who think that faith is getting what you want whenever you need it. To them, faith is like manipulating God to give in to your whims. If you’re not getting things your way, then you lack faith.

I don’t agree with them, of course. If Joseph and Mary’s story is any indication, I don’t think your comfort and discomfort about a certain situation is the true measure of being in faith.