Crippling Comfort

First, please let me explain. I am not talking about the kind of comfort we need when we go through a tragedy or trial, a comfort that God, our church, family or friends provide in time of great need. Some of us especially need this comfort right now due to the horrific events that have recently taken place in our country. We need this comfort in our lives.

I am talking about a comfort that keeps some of us in our zone, keeping us from reaching out to others, a comfort where fear tucks us safely in our corner rendering us ineffective for God’s eternal purpose.

I was challenged recently with a book I read called The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield. Butterfield shares openly about how God pulled her from a life of unbelief and a lifestyle she genuinely loved; her conversion was messy. What she has done since coming to Christ has opened my eyes to how I spend my time for the Lord and his work.

An excerpt from Butterfield’s book: “We in the church tend to be more fearful of the (perceived) sin in the world than of the sin in our own hearts. Why is that? Here is what I think. I believe that there is no greater enemy to vital life-breathing faith than insisting on cultural-sameness. When fear rules your theology, God is nowhere to be found in your paradigm, no matter how many Bible verses you tack onto it.”

I sit in my conviction as I read this.

This book reveals how Christians reached out to Butterfield with their love, their time, their homes and their meals. Yikes…am I doing this?!

As followers of Christ, we need to evaluate our hearts, our time spent, and how we are carving a path for others toward Heaven’s gate.

What is holding us back from stepping out of our comfort zone? Is it our perception of people? Pride? Inconvenience? Fear of getting involved? What is crippling us? Again, I sit in conviction.

The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert is an excellent book that discloses Butterfield’s path to Christ and the life she now lives. I’d also like to recommend a post she wrote a year ago. Butterfield’s perspective is worth reading.