I love to be cozy. Snuggled under a blanket on a cold day, good book in hand (or a nice social media endless scroll), and nowhere to be. It’s one of my favorite things to do. But there comes a point when it is not comfortable any more. Lounging around too long makes my body hurt. I get hungry or thirsty or just bored. But I’m so comfortable! Why would I move? Why would I change? The answer is often that I no longer need to be comfortable. I need something more.
That’s how it feels to leave the U.S. and live overseas. It’s really, really, uncomfortable. You don’t know the culture, may not speak the language, and will have to struggle to settle into life. Why would a person leave their comfortable established life and put themselves through that hardship? In conversations with many of our staff the answer is that they needed something more than being comfortable. They needed to obey what God told them they needed to do more than they needed to be comfortable. They needed their lives to impact others more than they needed to be comfortable. They needed to speak hope to others more than they needed to be comfortable.
It’s not a small, straightforward, or simple choice to uproot your life. It’s not really one that makes much sense looking from the outside in. But when you know that it will be better to follow your Shepherd’s leading than to remain in the comfy pasture land, you are unable to keep wallowing in the grass. Maybe this resonates with you. You have been feeling too comfortable (something that seems so silly to complain about!) And you long for something more. More connection, more joy, more struggle, more growth, more hope, or more challenges. All of those things are available to you if you are willing to step out in faith.
If this is you, if you are looking for more, please reach out to us! We are always looking for people who are willing to get uncomfortable for Jesus. We want to help you find the “more” in Iraq or Kazakhstan or Nashville. We’ve been through that comfortable to uncomfortable stage. Let us help you find your way too!
