Close Enough to Feel Comfortable, Too Comfortable to Be Changed
Photo image courtesy Andrej Lisakov for Unsplash
“I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” – John 10:10
There are moments in our church service when it feels like it’s just me and Jesus; as if I’m standing before Him, feeling broken and full at the same time.
It happens when our worship leader sings “Mercy.” The song begins slowly, softly and thoughtfully, and its story-telling lyrics sweep the room.
As he sings the opening words, they land in my heart. “I’m living proof of what the mercy of God can do.” And like an old movie, scenes from my Christian life begin to replay. I start to remember what I almost missed, and the story becomes mine, too.
I knew something was off. My life had no depth, and my relationship with God felt stagnant. My heart was drying up. To everyone else, I appeared to have it together. I surrounded myself with Christians, fed off their experiences with God, and felt safe, righteous, even in my Christianity.
I professed faith in God, attended church, and prayed. It was easy to believe that was enough. I had accepted the subtle lie that this was true faith in action. Christianity felt easier without a deep, personal connection with God. I could talk about Jesus, but I was just religious.
Eventually, I saw that partial surrender of my heart wasn’t surrender at all. I was close enough to God to feel fairly comfortable, but not surrendered enough to let Him change me. My routine faith was masking a deeper need.
Maybe you’ve known a comfortable faith, too. It looks right on the outside, but deep inside, you remain thirsty.
In His mercy, God didn’t leave me stuck in my spiritual shallowness, tied to routine and emptiness.
As a Christian, I wasn’t a vessel adrift; sadly, I had never even left the dock. I was bound by the ropes of what I thought was righteousness.
Your ropes might look different than mine. Perhaps yours are routine, comfort, or religion.
God opened my eyes to what was missing and began freeing me from the ropes that bound me so I could live fully with Him.
Our relationship began to deepen. I allowed Him to guide me where I was meant to go. My faith became the sails that carried me forward.
The song continues: “If you knew me then, you’d believe me now.” I remember the emptiness of my shallow faith. Now I’m full, living proof of what the mercy of God can do. Jesus paid with His life to make me a child of God, and I am deeply humbled by what I have not earned: His grace.
When I took His grace for granted, He, in His mercy, took me from the shallow to the deep of our relationship. Mercy met grace. Daily, He refreshes my spirit with the living water only He provides. In our faith, there is always something deeper to discover.
Questions for Reflection:
1. Are you close enough to God to feel comfortable, but still resisting the need to surrender for Him to change you?
2. What “ropes” are keeping you tied to the dock of comfort?
3. What faith moment in your journey has God used to change you?
