WRITTEN BY TIM LABRECHE
When I write, I love sharing experiences I’ve walked through and what God has shown me in those times. Sometimes they’re funny stories. Sometimes they’re heartbreaking. This one? This one is uncomfortable.
About four or five months ago, my left bicep started to hurt whenever I would extend my arm out to my side above my shoulder. I’m not sure what caused the pain, but it was there nonetheless. Thinking it was a simple sprain or something similar, I didn’t do anything to try to fix it. I figured it would eventually go away.
It didn’t.
When I went in for a doctor’s appointment in July, I mentioned it to my doctor, and he referred me to physical therapy. My first appointment went great. There was a general assessment followed by an ultrasound and some type of heated massage on my shoulder and upper arm with what looked like a big drumstick. It felt incredible. I still had discomfort in my arm, but it felt amazing afterward.
A few days later, I showed up for my next appointment. This one was vastly different from the first. I was asked to stretch my arm beyond what felt good. It was uncomfortable. It hurt. It was painful. I went home sore after that appointment.
The next day, something strange happened. I noticed I could move my arm higher than before with less pain. Not a huge difference, but a difference. After my next appointment, strangely enough, the same thing happened. Less pain, more movement.
As I’m writing this, I’m still going through PT. I don’t look forward to being stretched. I don’t enjoy wincing in pain. Being uncomfortable is not my first choice.
All year long, we’ve been talking about different aspects of being At His Feet. At one point this past month, while at His feet, I felt the Holy Spirit impress on me to do something I didn’t really want to do. Something that wouldn’t be easy or fun. It’s something that would definitely stretch me outside of my comfort zone.
Oftentimes, God calls us out of our routines and comfort zones. Yes, it’s uneasy, but it’s for our good. Acts 9 gives us an incredible example of someone being asked to do something uncomfortable. Ananias was one of God’s disciples, and God spoke to him in a vision.
10 There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.”
“Here I am, Lord,” he replied.
11 “Get up and go to the street called Straight,” the Lord said to him, “to the house of Judas, and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, since he is praying there. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him so that he may regain his sight.”
13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And he has authority here from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is my chosen instrument to take my name to Gentiles, kings, and Israelites. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
I can sympathize with Ananias’ concern in verses 13–14. Saul was known not only for arresting Christians, but for persecuting them, sometimes even to the point of death. I’m sure I would have been terrified to go anywhere near him knowing that. But what did Ananias do?
17 Ananias went and entered the house. He placed his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road you were traveling, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
18 At once something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.
He obeyed. He did the uncomfortable, terrifying, scary thing God asked him to do. Because of his obedience, the scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and his vision was restored. Saul, later known as Paul, became one of the most influential people in Christian history. Ananias’ obedience in the face of extreme discomfort played a part in making an eternal impact on millions upon millions of lives.
God will often ask me to do things that make me uncomfortable. Not to the level of Ananias, but still things I’d rather not do. But I do know that when I obey, the discomfort, the uneasiness, and the fear begin to fade away. He pulls us into those times for our good and His glory.
I recently read about stretch-mediated hypertrophy. Basically, it means a muscle can grow more when it’s working hard while fully stretched. Think about holding something heavy while your arm or leg is stretched out. That combination of being stretched and under tension sends a strong signal to your body to build the muscle bigger and stronger.
Just like my arm and shoulder will get stronger as I continue to stretch them, we’ll grow stronger in those times when He asks us to do the things that make us uncomfortable.
What about you? Has He called you to do anything uncomfortable? Maybe He’s put it on your heart week after week to invite someone in particular to church with you on Sunday, and you keep ignoring it. Maybe He’s calling you to stop sitting on the couch at night and be active. Could He be asking you to share your faith with a co-worker or friend?
Whatever it is, I want to encourage you to allow yourself to be uncomfortable. You’ll love the results.