Our society idolizes comfort. From the things we buy to the way we buy them, from the pursuit of convenience to the accumulation of wealth, our cultural compass points to safety, leisure, and comfort.
John Ortberg says the most dangerous object in our homes is a comfy chair. One in which we recline, remote control in one hand, beverage of choice in the other. We kick back, turn on the TV, and veg out.
It’s dangerous “not because of the things you do while you’re in [the chair].”
Rather, says Ortberg, “it’s the things you don’t do, the relationships you never deepen, the people in need you never serve - never even see. It’s the great prayers you never pray, noble thoughts you never think, adventures you never take… You were made for something more than life in the chair.”
Now comfort is generally a good thing. But too much comfort is a deadly trap.
Too much comfort makes us self-absorbed. We ignore the needs of those around us.
Too much comfort makes us entitled. We take for granted both things and people.
Too much comfort makes us irritable. We bristle at the slightest inconvenience.
Too much comfort saps our motivation. We find little reason to learn and grow.
Do you find yourself sitting in a proverbial comfy chair - as it relates to your career? Your marriage? Your friendships? Your faith? Are you doing the bare minimum and coasting by? Is this what you really desire?
Perhaps there’s more to life than the comfy chair.