Blessed with discomfort

As I sat and listened to Craig Groeschel, Senior Pastor of LifeChurch.tv give his concluding remarks at this year's Leadership Summit I was unexpectedly moved to tears. I turned my head down towards my lap in the feeble attempt to remain unnoticed. It was here, much to my dismay...anguish swept through me...and the tears fell unapologetically. Embarrassment might have threatened had I not caught a glimpse of my co-worker losing the same battle...as he discreetly wiped away his own tears.

Craig concluded with a prayer for us from a Franciscan Benediction. I'll share with you the same...

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain in to joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

Some nights I don't like the discomfort that owns my soul. I don't like the heartbreak I have for this community. I don't like the images of the Romanian orphans that run rampant in my head. And I don't like the realities my kids face when I drop them off at night.

But God didn't ask me to like it. He asked me to share in his heartbreak...and then do something about it.

May God bless you with discomfort.