Great Day Addendum - Uncomfortable, by Marty Stubblefield

“For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.” – 1 Corinthians 1:25 NIV

For the past four Sunday afternoons, my two older girls have been attending a basketball fundamentals clinic to help hone their skills and prepare for the upcoming season.

This Sunday, the girls focused primarily on ball handling drills with their left hand (that is, their off hand… or weak hand) and had to dribble with their left hand in most every drill.

It was fun to watch how the drilled slowed down for some of the girls while they focused intently on not losing the ball… on not looking at the ball… and keeping up with the others. Of course, some of the girls were better at it than others… But few were as adept with their left as they were with their right.

I remember hanging out and shooting hoops with my friend Tommy Simpson one summer day some 30 years ago and him sharing with me something that he had learned at a basketball camp somewhere.

“What you can do with your right hand...” and Tommy would dribble up and dunk with his right hand

“… You need to be able to do with your left.” and he dribbled up with his left hand and dunked with his left hand.

And we spent the rest of that hot summer afternoon dribbling right and then dribbling left… shooting right handed lay ups and then shooting left… shooting left handed hook shots along with hooks with our right…

“What you can do with your right hand… you need to be able to do with your left.

The uncomfortable should become the comfortable.

I wonder what that might look like now…. in our faith walk… with our family life… at work?

What if we allowed ourselves to become uncomfortable… allowed the Lord to make us uncomfortable?

Maybe that’s a wealthy man working with inner city kids.
Maybe that’s stepping out of the boat and starting a new, much needed ministry.
Maybe that’s a professional taking a break from corporate America and taking a mission trip to South Africa or Brazil.
Maybe that’s an introvert stepping up and teaching a class of 6th & 7th grade girls.
Maybe it’s sharing your faith with a friend who desperately needs to hear it.
Maybe that friend is a parent… or a sibling… or a spouse.

I don’t know what it may be for each of us… But I do know that it is time for us and our Laissez Faire attitude and lifestyle to step out of the status quo… step away from the easy and the comfortable… start going left when it is easier to go right.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen”
– Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV

Keep the Faith… Carpe Diem
© Great Day Addendum Copyright 2009



After I had forwarded this devotional out to several people a friend wrote back the following comment: "Maybe it looks like a married couple who were getting ready to embrace the empty nest, feeling God's call to adopt 2 young girls!" I couldn't resist responding to her, "Y'all are adopting, too?!?!?! We didn't know."

:-)

So, how is the Lord possibly making you uncomfortable? Will you respond favorably to His promptings?

Tim