The Battle Ends
After a two plus year long battle, Ali finally won. Since we got married it’s been a nonstop conversation, “Can we get a cat?” Time after time I’d fire back with a resounding “No!” reminding her that we couldn’t have animals at the apartment we lived in. Well, that all changed a couple months ago when we purchased our own home.
With fresh vigor and excitement Ali pressed on, “Now can we get a cat? We don’t have a landlord anymore. Let’s get one!” As the head of the house, I knew it was time. I had to put my foot down and teach Ali a valuable lesson – No means no, we’re not getting a cat! Needless to say, we got two. Not one, but TWO! I lost the battle.
One of our little kitties, Winnie, was very skittish when we brought her home. We’d go to pet her and she’d hunker down, run away, or find a place to hide. One thing is for sure, she didn’t want us touching her. So we had to get innovative. “How are we gonna get this cat to let us pet her?” we thought to ourselves. Then we came up with a seemingly brilliant idea.
Winnie loves her treats. We figured if we could lure her in with her treats then we could snatch her up, show her some love, then give her what she came for. This method worked for about a week…then she did the unthinkable. One day as I led her over to me with her treats, right as I went to snatch her up, she turned the table on me. She’d grown accustomed to my schemes. She started to get a little more comfortable with me, and this time when I went to trick her, she turned and tricked me. Right as I reached out as if I were going to give her the treat, she came over, hauled off and bit me on the hand! I had to remind her of the old saying, “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you!”
Don’t Grow Comfortable
There is a famous parable that Jesus tells in Luke 15. It’s the story of a son who goes to His father demanding his inheritance. After all that the father had done for him in his life, how could he be so ungrateful? How did he come to a place where he would bite the hand of the man that fed him his entire life? How do you bite the hand of someone who has purchased your success with their sacrifice? You do what most of the American church has done. You do what the prodigal boy did. You do what my little Winnie did. You simply grow comfortable.
Comfort can be absolutely deadly. When we allow an unholy comfort to take residence in our hearts we tend to value the least, those who matter the most. In doing so, we hurt no one more than we hurt ourselves.
We tend to value the least, those who matter the most. Share on X
Wage War
Friend, I challenge you, wage war with this enemy called “comfort”. Don’t let it sabotage your destiny. Don’t let it rob you of the relationships that should be treated with the utmost honor and respect. Remember, in the end, nobody will suffer more from unholy comfort more than you. When you walk in step with the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, you will give no place to carnal, fleshly comfort. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you. Walk with the Holy Spirit.
Excerpt from Why Church? (Part 4)
Caleb and Ali live in East Tennessee where they serve at The Lift Church. With boldness and conviction, their deepest desire is to see the church revived and the world awakened. Learn more about The Lift by visiting theliftchurch.tv.
