couches and chips

Well it's football time again in Tennessee! I am not saying this because I am a huge UT fan, I just love football. College or NFL, it doesn't matter I love to watch it. There is nothing like a cool autumn day with the windows open, cool breezes, leaves changing and football on TV.

There is a certain comfort to it all.

Comfortable couches, chips and dips and hot wings. Sitting in the comfort of your house and watching the teams play. Watching the teams play! Not engaged in the battle, but simply sitting on the sidelines and cheering (or booing). It is really quite intoxicating, and numbing.

Sunday afternoons for me can be a real joy. I make a chili cheese dip, or nachos and usually a large soda, plop on the couch and watch football, then hopefully drift off to a nice afternoon nap. How awesome is that!

I have to say I got my love for football and the Sunday afternoon routines from my mother. She was the loudest in the family when it came to cheering (screaming would be the word actually). She also took me to the Tampa Bay Bucs games, and High School football games. I miss her so much especially this time of year. I remember one time when I was first married, my mother called me up on Sunday and wanted to know if she could come over to our apartment to watch football, because my dad was out of town. She showed up with a 12 pack of MGD because her doctor said a little alcohol wasn't a bad thing for her.

Good times!

We all look for that comfort. We look for it in food, in jobs, in our savings accounts, and our homes. Look at all the new outdoor living rooms that people are building, you know... outdoor fireplace, couches, tables etc... We all want to be comfortable.

We try to avoid pain and discomfort at all costs.

Recently I had to sit through something very painful and very, very uncomfortable. It was something I chose to do. I want to know God even deeper, and the only way to do that is to reject the comfort of religion, and pursue Him in the nooks and crannies of my life. Sometimes when we retrace our steps we run across dangerous inner city alleys that we do not want to go down. They are dark, scary and we don't really know what we might find there. It might make us uncomfortable!

That is where I want to be, as painful as it is. God is there.

The easy thing to do is to sign up for another bible study class or to volunteer our time at the homeless shelter. Don't get me wrong these things are what we are called to do, and what we need to do. I am saying we can know God in such a deeper way if we search for Him in our stories, and go to those places we have avoided all these years.

I would much rather sit in a cold metal chair in a classroom, that is more institutional than cozy, and do life and explore life with travelling partners than sit on my comfy couch, cheer from the sidelines, numb the pain with food and voyeuristically enjoy the battle.

Jesus chose pain over comfort. For my sake, and my whole life is a response of gratitude.

To God be the glory, Amen.