Comfortable

Typically most mornings my commute to work consists of a short stint on a four lane interstate, followed by a long stint on a four lane highway.  There’s not a lot of change along the way, and honestly, not a lot to see on most days.  However, some days when I take my kids to my parents for the day, I choose to leave and take the “back roads":  a two lane road that stretches through the countryside, as well as roads that have a variety of views and carry a high probability of getting stuck behind a tractor.  
 
One morning after dropping my kids off, I headed on the back roads to work.  As I was driving along, I noticed to my left a large, open field.  It looked like it had been recently plowed to prepare for upcoming crops.  In the field there were some large mud puddles in the ruts left by the tractor, due to recent rain.  And in those puddles was a large flock of geese.  At first this made me smile.  Look at those geese having a grand old time out there splashing in the puddles.  Look at them just sitting in the puddle resting.  But the sight that followed made my heart hurt for the geese.  For directly after the mud puddles was a huge treeline and right behind the treeline was a magnificent pond, a pond full of water and with plenty of room.  
 
My heart ached because it seemed like these geese were missing out on a wonderful opportunity in a pond, for the slight joy of a puddle.  God immediately tugged on my heart and had me to consider just how many people are living their lives this way.  How many people are settling for what they have in front of them, what they know, what seems secure because they are unwilling to take a step for what might be?  How many times in my own life had I become comfortable in my surroundings and missed out on the much greater things that God had in store?

It reminded me of the Master and servant story in Matthew 25.  The Master had told his servants that He was leaving on a trip and He entrusted them with certain amounts of silver.  The servant who received five bags invested it and earned five more.  The servant with two bags earned two more.  Matthew 25:18 states, “But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the Master’s money.”  When the Master returned home he followed up with his servants.  He praised the servant who gained five bags and the one who gained two.  

“Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate.  I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth.  Look, here is your money back.’  Matthew 25: 24-25

The Master was not pleased with the servant and asked why the servant didn’t at least deposit the bag of coins to draw interest.  But the servant was more worried about disappointing someone, letting someone down, than he was about the opportunity in front of him.  There are so many times as Christians that we get settled in our comfortable lifestyles, comfortable jobs, and comfortable callings that we miss out on the opportunities that God has placed before us.  We live our lives splashing and floating in a mud puddle when there is a huge pond that God has provided for us just beyond the treeline.  Do we have the faith to be obedient to God and take some steps outside our comfort zone knowing that growth can happen there?  Are we settling for what we have and missing out on the possibilities of what could be?  While the geese were getting everything they needed out of those puddles that particular day, the opportunities that awaited them behind the treeline would have provided so much more!