Comfort.

There is one specific quote that I can not seem to get out of my head lately.

As spoken by the ever so wonderful Francis Chan, "But God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through.”

I admit it: comfortability--if that is even a word--is something that continuously I struggle with. The feeling of "being comfortable" is something that has been bred into our teensie-weensie American minds as not only appealing, but desirable. It is dream of most people to live a leisurely and "comfortable" lifestyle. And this definition of comfortable is one that includes money, privilege, and accessories.

But honestly, the more and more I read the good book that is my God's word, the more I see this large clashing of ideals, and the more I start questioning my own source of comfort.

I could easily write a lengthy list of "items" that make me feel comfortable on this Earth.

Paychecks. Large pillows. Dogs. My favorite television show. Beach days. Heart-to-hearts with friends. My laptop. Driving in my car.

But here is the issue with that list: they are temporary, and it creates such instability and such a roller-coaster of emotion.

When my paycheck is a lot smaller than expected. When my favorite television series ends. When it is too cold to go the beach. When I get into arguments with my friends. When my car breaks down. When my laptop dies.

In an instant, my comfort disappears.

God is called, out of many different names, our Comforter. And that is no small task, because we have been taught to transfer our comfort on such superficial ideals, that God is kicking and screaming in the background saying, "You really don't need all that! I have your back! Trust me, you can be comfortable with me!"

In Luke 12, Jesus is speaking to the crowds, and one man comes up out of the crowd and asks Jesus to intervene for him, and tell his brother to split his inheritance with him. Jesus replies with a parable, and says, "This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God." Further down, Jesus is giving more commandments to his disciples and orders them, "Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Do you see? The fact that we are not basing our comfort in God is not the main issue here. Yes, it is an issue, but not the most monumental one.

No, the fact that we base our sense of comfort in worldly items and ideals is a problem because it proves our heart does not truly long for Jesus. Our desire to want "things" proves that our heart is grounded in those "things" and not our true Comforter.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Luke 12:34)" Does that sting you a little bit, like it does me?

Where is my treasure? My family. My job. My friendships. My bank account.

I have stored so many "treasures" in these places that I have lost the treasure I once placed in God's hands.

I base my comfort on things that will fail me over and over again, yet God is still clinging onto those last few treasures I gave him. And he is screaming my name to give my treasures back to Him, in a place where they will not wear, tear, or damage. At all.