Clean and Comfortable

"On belay", "Belay on", "Climbing", "Climb on". The challenge begins. Heart races - eyes focus - muscles tense as I reach for the first hold.  Here in the bold beauty of the Linville Gorge, begins our Quest Men's weekend with 3 friends from church. The first experiential learning activity is rock climbing.  My breathing slows as I reach, step, pull up, reach, step, pull up. A mixture of adrenaline, courage and fear wash through me as I ascend the rock face. I reach the top and turn to look back, overwhelmed by the vast depth and reach of the Gorge below - the unending sky of blue above.

That evening around a camp fire, nestled in the Gorge, enveloped by the sound of the river rushing by our campsite, we considered the question - "What do I want to happen for me this weekend?"Pondering the question, what came to me was, "I want to be uncomfortable". Articulated another way during our last conversation before hiking out on Sunday I shared a response to the question - "How have I been doing life?" My response - "I like life clean and comfortable".

My reticence in seeing my backpacking gear dirtied by rain and mud reveals my aversion to the "unclean" in life - the messy things - the disorder - what feels out of my control. The frustration that accompanied our experience of camp life in the rain- sleeping in a cramped tent on a thin sliver of an air mattress, reveals my avoidance of the"uncomfortable" in life - things that require more energy than I want to give - the unplanned turns, the inconvenient relationships and conversations - what doesn't come with ease and pleasure.

Out of the beauty of our surroundings - out of the misty mountains - out of the dark of the subtle evenings - out of the power of the rushing water of the racing river - the Lord spoke to me about how I  approach life. My approach founded in doing life on my terms - with my expectations - hoping for my pleasure and joy - all with the smallest cost in effort and with the smallest amount of discomfort on my part.

Jesus speaks into this approach to doing life - and says, "Come, follow me", "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life...But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness", "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it", "Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."

A compelling invitation away from my life of self sufficiency, self dependence, self preservation. These things I am challenged to consider as I continue to pray and ask the Lord what it will look like to continue to follow Jesus. Deep in my heart I know that "clean and comfortable" must be transformed by the Spirit of Christ to more increasingly center on "true" and "trust". Jesus wants to interrupt our approach to life on our terms and offer instead, "Life more abundant".