Why are we so uncomfortable with being uncomfortable?

It would seem that at least in Western culture, and when I say Western culture, the U.S., Canada, Europe, countries that are more developed, we are absolutely addicted to comfort.

The moment something feels off in our body, we're reaching for Advil, and I'm not judging because I just took some about 10 minutes ago.

But we don't like to be uncomfortable,

and

yet sometimes we're asked to make uncomfortable decisions.

As you were talking, I don't have a story quite like that, but the most uncomfortable God ever made me that I can think of in most recent memory is when Rebecca and I just graduated from college and we were looking for a job.

And I wanted to go to Michigan because that's where my parents

lived

at the time, still live there.

And I wanted to go there and be closer to family.

And so this church called us, flew us out to interview, this is in Detroit area, flew us out first class.

I'd never heard of a church flying a candidate for a youth pastor first class.

They picked us up in a Cadillac, which should have been a warning sign.

And we got there, and when we were there, the pastor interviewed us.

He said, I believe God told me you're supposed to come here.

And he said, this is what I'm going to pay you.

And at the time, again, this is 1997, the salary he was offering was unheard of for a youth pastor in 1997.

And then he told my wife, we'll pay you too, and you can just do whatever you want.

And then he said to me, if you take this job, I'm going to send you to the mall right now with my credit card, and you can buy whatever you want.

True story.

Wow.

He, that evening, he was taking us to the Ritz-Carlton for dinner and somehow his reservation got misplaced or something and he couldn't.

So he, he apologized profusely that he had to take us to the Outback, which to me at the time, the Outback might have been the Ritz-Carlton.

You're like, this is

a free dinner.