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Last Thursday I woke up after a rough night and immediately knew something was not right. I took a look in the mirror and my face was about three times the normal size and bright red. I took my temperature on my face and it was 103 degrees! I had started a new injectable migraine medication just a few days earlier, and I have been through this before. It was safe to say I was having a severe allergic reaction to the new medication. I spent the next few hours in the Emergency Room getting pumped full of steroids to counteract the reaction. I’ll spend the next few weeks uncomfortable, but I’ll live. When we experience an allergic reaction, it’s the result of our bodies fighting against something they don’t like. There is another type of reaction our bodies can experience — when something is actually good for us, but it makes us uncomfortable. God’s Word does just that. It’s not harmful; it’s actually good for us. Yet sometimes, it can make us feel very uncomfortable. God’s Word confronts our attitudes, our priorities, our relationships, our pride, our unforgiveness, our habits, and even the choices we’ve made. And all of that can make us extremely uncomfortable. Unlike an allergic reaction, we have the choice about how we respond. We can act on what the Holy Spirit is pointing out to us, or we can continue to live in the shadows. The author of Hebrews put it this way: “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” (Hebrews 4:12, NLT) It’s easy to say we’re fine and we don’t have any issues with God’s Word. But God gets the final say. The question is not whether we have a problem with God’s Word. The question is: Does His Word have any issues with us? God’s Word brings our thoughts and desires out of the shadows and into His light. It exposes things we’ve kept hidden — even from ourselves. We find comfort in God’s Word when it reassures us of God’s love. We dive into His Word seeking His promises, His presence, His peace, and His provision. But it’s a different story when we come across a verse that insists we offer forgiveness to someone we don’t want to forgive. Or when it causes us to confront our pride, points out our sinful behavior, or prods us to surrender something we’re not ready to let go of. That’s when things get uncomfortable. We have free will, and God has given us a choice. We can face the leading of the Holy Spirit and allow ourselves to get uncomfortable, or we can pretend that everything is fine. James puts it this way: “Don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.” (James 1:22-24, NLT) The interesting thing about a mirror is that it has no control over what you actually look like. It is simply a reflection of what is already there. It’s the same with God’s Word, it didn’t create the problem in our souls; it simply reveals what is there so we can address it. Let’s not forget what we see in that mirror. Instead, let’s embrace the uncomfortable and ask Jesus to examine our hearts and souls and begin a transformational work in us. The real danger isn’t being made uncomfortable by God’s Word. The real danger is seeing what God reveals and choosing not to be transformed by it. James goes on to say: “If you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” (James 1:25, NLT) When we choose to do the hard things and allow Jesus to do a work in and through us, we discover that obedience doesn’t lead to bondage — it leads to freedom. And James reminds us that God blesses us when we take that step. This final step requires complete surrender. King David put it this way: “God, I invite your searching gaze into my heart. Examine me through and through; find out everything that may be hidden within me. Put me to the test and sift through all my anxious cares. See if there is any path of pain I’m walking on, and lead me back to your glorious, everlasting way—the path that brings me back to you.” (Psalm 139:23-24, TPT) This is a dangerous prayer. But it’s one we need to be willing to pray. Are you ready to ask God to examine your heart and point out what you’ve been pretending doesn’t exist? Are you willing to follow God’s plan for healing and restoration, even when it makes you uncomfortable? God designed our bodies to tell us when something is wrong. With my allergic reaction, the right response wasn’t to pretend I was fine. I needed to admit something was wrong and that I needed help. So, what have you been keeping in the shadows and ignoring? What is God nudging you about? What is making you uncomfortable? Getting uncomfortable is not a matter of if, but when. When we allow God and His Word to get deep into our hearts and lives, it will make us uncomfortable. God’s Word convicts us, guides us, heals us, and ultimately leads us to the foot of the cross. And it is there, on our knees, that we can fully surrender, asking Jesus to help us take our next steps — steps into freedom. |