Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 5

Do you like the house where you live?

A simple question for you, do you like where you live?

When Sara and I married, I promised that I wouldn't take her to live in the Inland Empire. We had been given our first church in San Diego, and I loved living there! It was wonderful. I went for an entire year without wearing socks except to church. Our house was lovely, and our little city, La Mesa, was excellent. It had the best Mexican restaurant I had ever been to (Mario's de La Mesa), and we were happy and content for a few years.

I began getting a little weary of my job and was ready for the next adventure God would take us on. We looked at a few opportunities, but then the chaplain's job at Loma Linda Academy became available. It was a chance to build culture, hang out with students and be closer to family. I told Sara that we would only be there for a few years before we found the next step in a career that I was sure would take us all over, with opportunities to live in many different areas.

Fast forward to 2022, we have been living in the Inland Empire for the last 21 years, and we can't see a time that we will be moving soon. We never meant to stay here that long. We bought each house as if it were a transitional house and lived accordingly. We just moved to Riverside, and we still wonder why God has kept us within a 20-mile range over the last two decades.

But this text reminds me that as followers of Jesus, we will always be uncomfortable in our living situations. Jesus never had a place to lay his head, so why should I be worried that I live here and not somewhere more beautiful? What right do I have to complain?

These texts remind us that Jesus never promised comfort, but rather, he promised that we would be uncomfortable in this life of faith. Sometimes making decisions against our better interests, move to places we hadn't planned on moving to, and live with people we didn't know we could love. There is a clear understanding that comes from the words of Jesus that things aren't going to get easier as followers of Jesus; instead, they will probably get worse, more complex, and harder.

But I can't complain. I've never gone hungry, thirsty, or unclothed because I couldn't afford new clothes. I've had everything that I have ever needed. In the end, following Christ has been more of an adventure than a struggle. I need to remember to count my blessings.

How about you?

1. How have you experienced housing since you followed Christ?
2. Are you taken care of?
3. What would it be like to follow Christ, not knowing where you were going to lay your head?