I really enjoyed Francis Chan’s book, Crazy Love. I need to read it again.
On page 169 he describes how, while attending a Christian college, he began to purposefully put himself in uncomfortable situations, like sharing his faith in downtown L. A. Here’s what he discovered:
The greatest blessing I received during those trips to the inner city was seeing God work in situations where He has to. As a result, I’ve made it a commitment to consistently put myself in situations that scare me and require God to come through. When I survey my life, I realize that those times have been the most meaningful and satisfying of my life. They were the times when I truly experienced life and God.
Amen. This is why God invites us to move toward need—toward discomfort—not toward comfort. It is the secret Paul discovered and why he said, “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).
In Christ, your pain, even if delivered by a “messenger of Satan” (2 Corinthians 12:7), is designed to bring you joy because it’s designed to encourage you to cast your all on God, whose grace will be sufficient for you (2 Corinthians 12:9).
