I really hope so. Life can be extremely uncomfortable at times, and unnecessary suffering is to be avoided. Do you take that seriously? God was described by Paul as “the God of all comfort”. He loves you as much as
a devoted parent loves their child (Isaiah 49:15).
Yet we might be getting too comfortable when our comfort is at the expense of other people’s. Pressure groups reacting to the news frequently refer to this principle, and we can feel exhausted just thinking about the collective guilt of our society. It’s hard feeling got at, like the poor spouse of a quarrelsome wife – or husband (v.15).
It’s easy to shut down and try to ignore the situation, but that leaves us in the dilemma referred to in verse 12: “The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.” To be healthy spiritually, we need to place our conscience in God’s hands, trusting that he who loves us so profoundly will show us the way forward. He understands everything about
us – our gifts, our weaknesses, our responsibilities, the state of our health, our motivation, our capacity. We need to enter into the presence of God – a spacious place of peace, light and life – to discern what he is equipping us to do.
Striking a balance
Yet we can get complacent and not see things from another’s point of view. For example, it’s great to have a church service that makes me feel comfortable, but supposing the style is outside another’s comfort zone? That challenge struck me forcibly when I read The Oxford Journal for Inter-cultural Mission. My personal taste can be too limiting.
We learn to be content to be less comfortable when we are keen to increase the comfort of others. St Paul’s passionate desire to see people come to Christ drove him on, despite considerable suffering. We can, and do, change. If I know I’m uncomfortable for a cause I’m committed to, I begin to think differently about what I am feeling.
There is a balance to be struck. Jesus reminds us to “Love your neighbour as yourself.” (Mark 12:31). As well as encouraging us to love our neighbour, those words can help us decide when to step in to help – and when that particular action is more than is required of us. Would I expect someone else to go the extra mile when they have a streaming cold? Maybe it’s time to rest.
Godly love
Love doesn’t always look soft and cosy. As verse 5 says, “Better is open rebuke than hidden love.” We often conceal our true reactions because we hate confrontation. An open rebuke can be more loving than silence, and is definitely better than nursing a grudge. We are all left facing the truth eventually, and it’s often better to know what that is from the start.
Words: Ruth Hamilton-Jones, Communications Officer
The first edition of The Oxford Journal for Inter-cultural Mission is available for download.