Season 1 - Introduction

When my daughter was four years old, we lost my mother-in-law's dog at our house. She had been visiting for Christmas break, and her dog, Little Bit, got away. It was one of those little teacup kinds of dogs, so it would not survive in the wild by any stretch of the imagination. You can imagine how my four-year-old daughter, who loved animals, felt. She was distraught. I mentioned that she should go with her grandmother around the neighborhood and ask the neighbors if they had seen Little Bit or had taken her in.

Hannah jumped at the chance to do something. So for the next hour and a half, she and her grandmother went to every house in the neighborhood. When they came back empty-handed, I asked how it went. Hannah, in all her four-year-old charisma, said, "Well, we didn't find Little Bit, but it was still good; now all the neighbors know me!"

The above has defined Hannah over the years. She is rarely uncomfortable in new situations. But this cannot be said of everyone. My other children could be more comfortable. I am uncomfortable with new situations, new people, or even too many people. I solved being uncomfortable in those situations by ensuring I was the center of what was happening. I didn't have to fit in if I was sticking out!

We all find ourselves in uncomfortable situations at times. Whether it is having too much attention, not enough attention, the wrong kind of attention, or just being in a place, we want to leave. We have all been uncomfortable, and we know what it is like. And this would give us a sense of camaraderie with others. However, this is often not the case. We are too often alone in feeling uncomfortable, even if everyone in the room feels the same way.

Sara and I had these friends earlier in our marriage that didn't know a stranger. They were always the party in the room, whatever room we found ourselves in. A perfect example of this was when we were eating at a Claim Jumper restaurant, and when our server finished her shift, she didn't go home; instead, she came and sat at our table with us! It was crazy!!!

We are often called into uncomfortable situations, and being a community of believers and belonging can be that uncomfortable situation where we are called to exist. It can be hard to be in a community with those you don't know, might think a little differently than you do, and might have belonged to this community for years, and you for just a minute or two.

But the Christian community was never meant to be comfortable. It might have been built to be uncomfortable so that we never get too comfortable, but we are always called to the uncomfortable work of God through community.

Being in a community means embracing the discomfort of things like the Cross of Christ, the discomfort of seeking holiness and truth, and the complex parts of finding ways to love. We should be uncomfortable when we live the mission that God has placed on our hearts. However, this doesn't make it less challenging.

Throughout this first season of the Uncomfortable Series, I want you to face what gives you discomfort, befriend it, and live with it. I won't use the word 'conquer" your discomfort because I am not sure I want you to. I want you to become comfortable with the discomfort and become used to being a little anxious, bothered, and off-kilter. I know it sounds horrible, but it is how we keep moving forward for the Kingdom of God.

These next five weeks should open our eyes. We will finish this Series later in the year, so we don't have to take it all at once. Please become comfortable with being uncomfortable for a little while!


Pastor Tim and the Crosswalk Team