Comfort is a Trial

How does that make any sense at all?

I was listening to a sermon series on the topic of Trials. As a Christian, trials are going to come. Some people think that being a Christian means that Jesus will fix all your problems and life is easy breezy and the sun will shine brighter and no harm will come your way - i don't even know where in the Bible that comes from. It's not true at all and far from biblical. Jesus promises to walk with us, never to abandon us when we face trials. In fact, trials and hard times are going to come.

But when i think of trials, i think of pain and suffering. Like if you've found out you've got cancer and you'll have to physically endure painful chemotherapy and radiation sessions in order to survive. Or if you've just found out your spouse is having an affair and you'll have to face emotional pain to deal with the situation. Or you've lost your job and you're faced with financial problems related to how the bills will get paid or how you will provide for your family. These are all situations that are less than desireable.

So then it was a bit of a surprise for me to hear in the sermon that the pastor also mentioned trials when we're rich, when we're blessed, when life is good. We face trials in those circumstances too. Isn't it when we're healthy, when we've got stable steady well-paying jobs, when your spouse loves you and your children are well behaved and everyone is getting along and when we are completely comfortable, that we start to turn our eyes away from God? Personally, i find it hard to remember that God is my Provider. Or that God is the reason for all these blessings in my life. I find it real easy to become complacent and to get comfortable making a home for myself in a place that is meant to be our temporary dwelling.

So life is good right now. I thank God for this and all that He has blessed me with. But now that I think about it, it is a trial as well in that there is a possibility that I will become complacent and comfortable. And i need constant reminders of why I continue to need Jesus in my life.