We are a society built on comfort. We pick out our furniture, beds, cars, shoes, clothes etc all based on comfort. We plan meal times and snacks, so we won’t be hungry. We set the temperature in our house at a certain degree for maximum comfort. I don’t feel there is anything wrong with any of those things, but I think most of us as humans do focus on making ourselves as comfortable as possible. The question is, is comfort always good for our well being?
Most of us have heard the quote by Neale Donald Walsch, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” Many of us have experienced this in certain aspects of our lives and know it to be true. We have stepped out and applied for a new job or a promotion or joined a new Bible Study group or stepped out to make new friends. There is risk involved with these actions because we may get rejected, but I do think our well being often depends on leaving our comfort zone. I do not believe a God who is always creating and doing new things ever intended for us to live our lives stuck in familiarity.
I actually think our comfort is not a top priority with God. However, I think he cares immensely about our well being. Well being is defined as the state of being healthy, happy and prosperous. I think there are many times in our lives that God will ask us to leave behind what is comfortable in order to position us for what he wants to give us. When we partner with God, it is often not comfortable. Partnering with God will often stretch and grow us, but it will also be an amazing adventure.
The Bible is full of stories of God prioritizing well being over comfort. I am sure Joseph was not comfortable being sold into slavery to Egypt, but in the end he was positioned to save His family. Abraham was told by God to leave behind everything he knew and head off into foreign territory which eventually led to the twelve tribes of Israel. Paul was arrested and put into prison, but during that time, he wrote a great deal of the New Testament. The twelve disciples left behind their lives and chose to follow Jesus.
Ruth in the Bible is a great example of someone choosing well being over comfort. Although, she may not have known that was what she was choosing at the time. When the book of Ruth opens, we learn that Naomi and her family had come from Bethlehem to the country of Moab to escape a famine. While they were there, Naomi’s two sons took wives, Ruth and Orpah. Then Naomi’s husband and both her sons died, leaving Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah alone. Naomi decided to return home to her country of Judah and encouraged Ruth and Orpah to stay in their country of Moab. Naomi felt she had nothing to give her daughters in law and wanted them to remain in their familiar surroundings. Orpah did return to her family, but Ruth decided to stay with Naomi. Even after Naomi told Ruth she had nothing to offer her and entreated Ruth to go back to her family, Ruth decided to stay. In Ruth 1:16 Ruth says to Naomi, “…For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.”
Not knowing the life that lay ahead of her, Ruth went with Naomi as Naomi returned to her home country. Upon returning, Naomi told her friends and family what had happened to her and her family and told them she would now be called Mara instead of Naomi. The name Mara means bitterness. Naomi did not tell her friends she was having a tough time or that she was working through grief. She literally told them to call her by the name of bitterness. I can only imagine that a person who is choosing to take the name of bitterness would not always be a person who was easy to live with. So now Ruth is in a foreign country with her mother in law who has chosen to be known by the name of bitterness.
But God has a plan for Ruth, and He uses her loyalty to Naomi to accomplish it. Ruth goes out into the fields to glean and gather the leftover barley as the reapers in the field work to collect the barley. She happens to be in Boaz’s field. Boaz shows her immense kindness and favor. It turns out that Boaz is a relative of Naomi’s family, and according to the traditions of the culture of that time, the opportunity for marriage presents itself. Boaz performs the necessary steps for that time period and ultimately speaks for Ruth and marries her. They have a son whom they name Obed who is King David’s grandfather and in the lineage of Jesus.
Ruth leaves all behind that is comfortable and follows her mother in law to a foreign country. There is no guarantee that she will be taken care of or accepted. The Bible does not go into all the motives of why Ruth was willing to do this when Orpah was not. However, we know that Ruth’s actions captured God’s heart because not only does Ruth end up with a husband willing to take care of her, her bloodline is now King David and eventually Jesus. What favor God shows her!
I don’t think spiritual well being, physical well being, or relational well being happen when we can line up our ducks perfectly in a row and then seek to control the circumstances so we remain comfortable and in control. I think our well being happens when we have faith in God and choose to trust Him beyond the circumstances we can see. God’s heart longs for us to put our hand in His hand and say to Him I trust you. No matter what is going on around me, I trust you.
Proverbs 3:5 (The Passion Translation) “Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart, rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make.” Remember, God is the only one that sees the big picture. You may see obstacles and possible pitfalls, but He sees beyond that. God is always for you and never against you. He wants to position you, so that you experience well – being in Him. You may not always be comfortable when you follow Him, but Jesus died on the cross so you could be free from fear, worry, anxiety, and oppression. Follow Him out of your comfort zone and into the well being He has for you!
Click on the links below to read some other good words on well being.
When Your Soul is Overwhelmed: Choosing “Well-Being” over “Well-Doing” http://kellycallenheath.com/when-your-soul-is-overwhelmed-choosing-well-being-over-well-doing/
It is Well https://rootedunrooted.com/blog/it-is-well
Important Ways to Improve Your Spiritual Well-being http://lindseygibson.com/stressed-important-ways-to-improve-your-spiritual-well-being/
Proven Child Sleep Meditation to Boost Wellbeing https://louvaria.com/child-sleep-meditation/
“ God’s heart longs for us to put our hand in His hand and say to Him I trust you. No matter what is going on around me, I trust you. “
I immediately could see this. His large, strong hand and then the other, smaller and soft like a child’s… not yet callused over by the world.
This was such a good reminder. If I want God to work in me His majesty, then I must step out of my comfort zone. I’d like to take you with me 😉
Good read, Sharla!
Thank you! Yes! Let’s all go on an adventure together. That would be fun. I think the book of Ruth is so interesting and she must have been an interesting person. God must think so too. She has her own book! 🙂