The Trap of Comfort

It was tipping--there was no stopping it now. Over the loud speaker, voices claimed the best plan of action was no plan of action. In Korean, they said "Stay put!" "Stay in your rooms!"

There was a student who dared to think differently and survey the situation for himself. He was on the deck, and he had a decision to make. He looked back to what he knew- the comfort of his room. And he looked ahead to the waves below. After all, the announcement had been made. Passengers were to stay still/ be in their rooms. He could be in denial of the hopelessness of the situation if he returned there. Blessed denial. He wouldn't have to confront his future. He could live out the rest of his final moments in "comfort."

But what is comfort? It is denial and delusion. It is ultimately a trap. A very watery, very deathly trap.

This young man decided to do something bold--disregard the announcement and take a plunge into the water. He chose life. I am sure being in the water had its scary moments, and maybe he even struggled to get to shore. But ultimately, he chose life and a future for himself.

When sin came into the world, the ship started sinking. And it is sinking so slowly that if we are not careful, we may not even notice. Voices tell us that we may or may not be sinking, but either way it is best to just stay put and do what is comfortable, what is familiar, what pleases us. And it is important to note that perspective is the whole key. If we don't see the ship as sinking, then it is absolutely ridiculous to plunge ourselves into the ocean. It appears nonsensical. But if we have the right perspective, it is the most sane and necessary choice we could make!

Like the young man, we are left with a choice. Do we embrace the trap of comfort? Or do we take the plunge into the unknown and surrender to God's plan? God has called us to better things. He has called us to LIVE.

We may get wet, and we may have to tread water. We may wish we were back on the ship at times. But God will not leave us alone in the water. He will rescue us from the waves. We will not drown. We will overcome. And we will live in the fullness to which we have been called.


[From the events of the South Korean ferry incident of April 15, 2014 and a sermon preached by Mark Boucher on April 18, 2014]

As You Change My Desires

Something I have learned- desires directly impact habits. Now, I have gone through many attempts at habit-changing in my 24 years of life. And as I've stated, those habits came from desires. There were desires I had that I wished I didn't. Desires to escape from reality, desires to handle stress in my own way, desires to serve myself. For example, I desired to escape and de-stress from real-life situations which led to an addiction to media. I couldn't bear silence. And then there were desires I wished I had, but didn't. Like my longing to desire (yes, I desired to desire) to love God and see people brought into His kingdom. I couldn't figure out how to love God and others. It seemed like grasping at straws.

Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." And I always interpreted that as--He will reward my desires. But that wasn't the meaning at all. It meant this: As you delight more and more in Who God is and accept His all-consuming love and let it radically change your life, you will be given a new heart and with it new desires.

For example, I never wanted to go to Africa. In fact, I told God I would go anywhere in the world but Africa. And I knew that I wasn't supposed to say never to God. My mom said she would never marry a pastor, and look where she ended up. But I attempted to trick God by saying, "Well you wouldn't make me go to Africa, because You give us the desires of our hearts, right?" Well needless to say, God wasn't tricked in the least. ;) I went to Mozambique, and it ended up being the best decision of my life, and God radically changed me through my obedience to go there.

So, in conclusion, how do you change habits? Well it starts with desires. And even before that, it starts with God changing your desires. What a radical thought- that God could give us new desires to replace old ones!

These song lyrics really speak to me concerning this topic:
["Sweetness of Freedom"- Citizens]

Verse 1
Within my heart’s a rebellious side 
Conflicting with the Spirit’s desire 
To keep my heart in step with you 
So I do not do what I want to do

Verse 2
Only you have the power to break 
Every chain I placed around my neck 
I heard your call from the pit of death 
To surrender all and nothing less

Verse 3
Through the Spirit I have righteousness 
Sweet victory over the flesh
I can walk with confidence in you
As you gratify my soul with truth

Chorus
All my life I live to follow
You alone as you change my desires 
Liberated by the blood of Jesus
I’ve found life in the sweetness of freedom