Our stories of God’s goodness should cause a stir in the people we tell.   #theloriclineshow   Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!   ~~~   Have you ever looked at someone’s life circumstances and thought, ‘I wonder what they did to cause that’? I think if we’re honest, we all have sat in that seat of judgment at one time or another. God forgive us. We don’t know someone’s story and until we’ve walked in their shoes, we can’t know how or why they may be where they are in life. We are called to go to them, give them the hope of Jesus and love them, right where they are. The thing is though, oftentimes where they are, isn’t very comfortable. There’s the rub. For us to REACH them, we have to step OUT of our comfort zones and get uncomfortable for the cause of Christ. Our god of comfort and tradition leads us, I’m afraid, more than we allow the Holy Spirit. May our prayer today be, ‘God, make us uncomfortable if that’s what it takes to do your will’. We aren’t called to comfort. We are called to take up our cross and follow. In fact it’s in the seasons of discomfort we lean on the Lord more. We dig into His truth to sustain us and guide us and it’s in our acknowledging that we are not in control that we find rest knowing He IS. God is always at work, even when it’s uncomfortable. He simply wants us to JOIN Him there and trust Him for the journey. Jesus displays over and over throughout His ministry, moments of stepping into the uncomfortable, reaching people right where they were in their messiness and even creating uncomfortable moments for those around Him. In John chapter nine we find Jesus keeping a divine appointment with a man who had been born blind. The chapter is fascinating and full of so much, so go read it, but let’s look at how it all begins. John 9:1-7 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. So the disciples wanted to first know, why IS this man blind? Have you ever been so consumed by your own questions and theology that you miss the obvious NEED right in front of you? Not that the questions were bad, but Jesus was focused on what mattered most and was about to reveal more of Himself through this encounter. That was his priority. Jesus made it clear, the works of God were about to be displayed and it was going to make a lot of people uncomfortable! This man’s sight was restored. The light of the world brought light to his eyes. He was changed, so much so that people almost didn’t recognize him! That’s what happens when Jesus turns your life upside down and redeems what has been lost. He opens your eyes to what can be, not what has been. This man had a new story to tell. Did you catch what the ‘pool of siloam’ means? It means ‘sent’. Jesus sent him to wash and be restored. He obeyed. There was a process for his healing. Once healed, he was sent to tell of the good works Jesus had done. Go read the rest of John chapter nine, this guy caused a big stir. Our stories of God’s goodness in our life should do the same. Go. Tell. Meet people in their need. Get uncomfortable and shine the light of Jesus, because it’s dark out there. People are blind and they need to see. That’s the truth. What has God restored in your life? Someone around you needs to hear about it. Our story for His Glory. I’m Lori Cline.