FRUITFULNESS IN THE DISCOMFORT ZONE
Isaiah 43:18-21
Jeremiah 29:4-7, 11-14b
"Look, be alert, be present," [says the Lord], " I'm about to do something brand-new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it?" (Isaiah 43:19, The Message)
Wait a minute, Lord. I like the old way. Oh, I know it's not perfect, but I've gotten use to it. I've finally gotten it broken in so it's just the way I like it. I'm comfortable. I'm in the zone -- I'm in my comfort zone.
That's a natural, human response when we find ourselves leaving the comfort of what we know and love and entering the Discomfort Zone. Sometimes, the discomfort level is so high, we may want to withdraw from the situation, circle our wagons and hunker down until things go back to the way they were.
That certainly was true for the people of Israel. God was speaking through Jeremiah and Isaiah to God's people at a time when they were living in exile in Babylon. It was the practice of the time for conquering empires to take into captivity the leaders, priests and scholars of a country and relocate them to someplace else in the empire. This broke their power and took away their sense of identity as a people. Far from home, they felt discouraged and lost. Jeremiah implies that their reaction was to withdraw, to curl up and die in the discomfort zone of their captivity.
But, according to the coffee mug that sits on my desk, Neale Donald Walsch, author of the nine book series, Conversations with God, believes life begins at the end of our comfort zone.
There's a lot of truth in that statement. Learning takes place in our discomfort zone. Athletes build strength and endurance in the discomfort zone (no pain, no gain). Relationships are proved true and people grow closer together as they work through the challenges of the discomfort zone. New ideas, new revelations and new discoveries are made when we leave the safety of our comfort zones and venture out into the future God has for us.
Maybe that's why God tells God's people to do something counter-intuitive: Live life! Be productive -- plant, grow, build, have babies and grandchildren! And while you're growing and learning as the people of God, bless the local community. And by all means, stay actively connected to the Me. Pray and seek me with all your hearts, and you will be found by Me, because I am there with you in the midst of your captivity, steadfastly with you in your discomfort zone.
Basically, God tells the people to be fruitful in the Discomfort zone. Fruitfulness is cultivating an inner life with God that results in a positive difference in the lives of the people around us and on the conditions of this world.
So what's next as we move through this time of transition into God's reality of being Fort Madison United Methodist Church? For a while, it means being in the Discomfort Zone as we learn what that means. During that time, God expects us not to withdraw into ourselves but to be fruitful -- to grow together in Christ and to reach outward as an instrument of reconciliation in our Church, our Community, and the World for the purpose of serving Jesus Christ.
An with us,through it all, is God, who is bringing water to the desert (Isaiah 43:20), consolation and blessing after blessing to us as God works for our good to fulfill God's promise for hope, a future, and life.
Jeremiah 29:4-7, 11-14b
"Look, be alert, be present," [says the Lord], " I'm about to do something brand-new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it?" (Isaiah 43:19, The Message)
Wait a minute, Lord. I like the old way. Oh, I know it's not perfect, but I've gotten use to it. I've finally gotten it broken in so it's just the way I like it. I'm comfortable. I'm in the zone -- I'm in my comfort zone.
That's a natural, human response when we find ourselves leaving the comfort of what we know and love and entering the Discomfort Zone. Sometimes, the discomfort level is so high, we may want to withdraw from the situation, circle our wagons and hunker down until things go back to the way they were.
That certainly was true for the people of Israel. God was speaking through Jeremiah and Isaiah to God's people at a time when they were living in exile in Babylon. It was the practice of the time for conquering empires to take into captivity the leaders, priests and scholars of a country and relocate them to someplace else in the empire. This broke their power and took away their sense of identity as a people. Far from home, they felt discouraged and lost. Jeremiah implies that their reaction was to withdraw, to curl up and die in the discomfort zone of their captivity.
But, according to the coffee mug that sits on my desk, Neale Donald Walsch, author of the nine book series, Conversations with God, believes life begins at the end of our comfort zone.
There's a lot of truth in that statement. Learning takes place in our discomfort zone. Athletes build strength and endurance in the discomfort zone (no pain, no gain). Relationships are proved true and people grow closer together as they work through the challenges of the discomfort zone. New ideas, new revelations and new discoveries are made when we leave the safety of our comfort zones and venture out into the future God has for us.
Maybe that's why God tells God's people to do something counter-intuitive: Live life! Be productive -- plant, grow, build, have babies and grandchildren! And while you're growing and learning as the people of God, bless the local community. And by all means, stay actively connected to the Me. Pray and seek me with all your hearts, and you will be found by Me, because I am there with you in the midst of your captivity, steadfastly with you in your discomfort zone.
Basically, God tells the people to be fruitful in the Discomfort zone. Fruitfulness is cultivating an inner life with God that results in a positive difference in the lives of the people around us and on the conditions of this world.
So what's next as we move through this time of transition into God's reality of being Fort Madison United Methodist Church? For a while, it means being in the Discomfort Zone as we learn what that means. During that time, God expects us not to withdraw into ourselves but to be fruitful -- to grow together in Christ and to reach outward as an instrument of reconciliation in our Church, our Community, and the World for the purpose of serving Jesus Christ.
An with us,through it all, is God, who is bringing water to the desert (Isaiah 43:20), consolation and blessing after blessing to us as God works for our good to fulfill God's promise for hope, a future, and life.
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