Delayed Comforts

Almost every day, two factors are at work. I've been fasting until noon every day. But, every day, I visit a coffee shop that serves biscuits and gravy. There are few foods that I love more than biscuits and gravy. (Thank you Front Porch Coffee for tempting me beyond what I can bear.). So the two factors are 1. The discomfort of fasting, and 2. the comfort of biscuits and gravy.  

It's clear that progress is created and achieved through the process of discomfort. Jogging, running, burpees, cleans and presses, college courses, and practice on an instrument are all forms of discomfort that lead to change.

But it's also clear that growth is achieved by delaying comforts.  

I'm in a season of growth—spiritually, professionally, interpersonally. It's very...um...uncomfortable. And I'm trying to be mindful and notice two factors at work: the discomfort of change and the ideas of comfort.  

Pay attention to the discomfort you're in today. But, moreover, pay attention to the way you think about comfort. Think about when you think about "biscuits and gravy." In what ways are you considering tapping out or punching out or getting relief? What do you gravitate toward as you consider the discomfort of change.

Don't change anything, just notice your inclinations toward comfort:

• Comfort: what/when/how/why/who?  

• (Especially what? Especially when?)

• Comfort food

• Comfort texts

• Comfort drinks

• Comfort activities

• Comfort in social media

• Comfort with an infusion of money into a bank account

• Comfort shopping

You might notice that most of these comforts aren't bad or evil, they're simply a way of tapping out of the progress you could make.  

In this season I'm in, I'm trying to 1. stay in the tension of the moment longer 2. Acknowledge that I contemplate comfort, and 3. delay comfort as a means to change and growth.