One of the beautiful things about the way we’re made is that we can quickly and easily do things on auto-pilot.  We become creatures of habit, and the routine tasks we face each day are often performed with little to no thought.  Have you ever noticed that you put the same leg into your pants every time?  Try putting the other leg in first tomorrow and you’ll probably find the task a bit more challenging.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with this.  It’s good that we don’t have to allocate a large percentage of our brain power to mundane things, but the danger is that if we never move out of the “no brainer” areas in our lives, then we will forever become members of The Brotherhood of the Sweatpants.

Don’t get me wrong.  I think sweatpants are awesome and can even think of some times when they’d be a fantastic choice for pants wear.  After a long run on a cold winter morning, there’s nothing more comfortable than a nice, warm pair of sweats.  I would imagine (since I’m a dude that’s all I can do) that if I was, say, on the verge of delivery after 9 months of pregnancy, a pair of XXXXL sweatpants would be quite nice, especially if they came with personnel who would wait on me hand and foot until the birth.

So, this isn’t a rant on how we never need to wear sweatpants.  It’s a rant about how we don’t need to always wear sweatpants.

(Surely you’ve been to Wal-Mart and seen the proof of why that last statement is true, but if not, exhibit A is on your left. You can click it for a larger image, but why? It ain’t gonna get any better.)

As the B99 and I were talking this morning, we discussed the tendency we all have to fall back into what’s become comfortable for us.  Given the choice, I’d say most people would always opt for the relaxed and comfortable over what feels, well, the opposite of that.  And therein lies the problem, and the clue to why so many of us have stopped growing in our faith, our careers, our relationships.

Growth isn’t comfortable.  It isn’t like pulling on that favorite pair of velour sweats.  It’s like putting on a pair of brand new, “just pulled the tags off and they’re really stiff” jeans.  You don’t feel like you can even bend your knees in them, and immediately you start to devise some way to “dress up” your trusty old sweats for that meeting that you’ve got down at the cafe later.

We’ve all seen The Brotherhood, and we don’t want to join them. We don’t want to be in the group that walks around in public proudly dressed to communicate to the entire world that they’ve quit caring. No, let us be in the group that wants to grow, mature, and be better today than we were yesterday.  You and I will form the society that values the hard work of the soul in order that we might establish a whole new level of comfort, a place where we can perform on auto-pilot the tasks that today feel like work.

And it all starts by slipping out of something comfortable.

My drive around town got a little scary today. As I slowed to stop at a red light, I looked to my left and saw a truck pull beside me and was surprised to see the driver was a woman who looked to be in her late 50s, wearing reading glasses and typing on her phone with both thumbs as her car rolled to a stop.

First lesson learned? As soon as the light turned green, I was getting as far away from her as quickly as I could.

Second lesson learned?  We do some pretty stupid things with our heads down.  Like drive cars.  I’m amazed at how many people I pass on the roads who are looking down as they drive a 4,500 pound metal machine and don’t think twice about it.  Translation?  Accidents waiting to happen.  And smart people know to get as far away from those as they can so that they won’t be hurt when the inevitable tragedy takes place.

Nowadays we walk with our heads down, too.  Maybe we’re fascinated with our choice of footwear, but more likely we’re texting or changing our social status with little regard for where we’re going.  The result?  Padded lamp posts in London to protect the 1 in 10 texters who walk run into them, or an instant  viral video when a woman falls into a fountain at a mall while texting.

Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. (John 4:35 – ESV)

Third lesson learned?  The church has a responsibility in America to lift up her head.  To be aware of the culture around us and the needs in front of us.  Is it possible that the culture we’re called to reach is moving as far away from the church as possible simply because they see us living our faith with our heads down and they can see the crash that’s imminent?  Have we become so consumed with our own agendas, practices, and kingdoms, that we’ve lost sight of those around us and have become immune to the potential damage that we can cause if we continue down this road?

We need to stop praying just for eyes to see.

The time has come to ask the Lord to give us the courage to look up.

A strange thing happened as I stood in line to pay for my drink this week at our local coffee shop. A band came on the TV and started playing, and it was a good song.  You know, one of those intros that gets you tapping your foot even though you may not know the song.  But once they started singing, I knew I’d heard it before, and by before, I mean almost 30 years ago.

The person taking my money said, “That’s a great song,” and when I mentioned that I used to sing it when I was growing up in church (and with goofy hand motions, too), she seemed surprised that it wasn’t a new song. I made a comment that if you live long enough, everything eventually comes back.

That’s good and bad news.  The good news is that we don’t have to really do anything but wait, and eventually what we have will make a comeback.  Your clothes and your music are obvious examples, but what about the deeper issues.  Stuff like children who have wandered away from you, from the faith you taught them.  Dreams that you’ve put on the shelf and time has now covered with dust.

Live long enough, and those can make a comeback, too.

The bad news?  There could be quite a bit of time that you will live looking like a fool.  People who don’t dress according to the current trends run the risk of being labeled “out-dated” or “out of fashion.”  Sure, if they keep wearing the same clothes, eventually the style they love will return, but in the meantime they will stick out like a sore thumb.

Ever heard of Noah?  Building a boat to float on water when the world has never even known rain? That’s not trendy.  It’s not relevant.  It’s actually just plain weird. But he stayed with it, he didn’t give up, he “lived long enough” for the trends to shift, and when the rain came, Noah was right where he needed to be.

We’ve all got things that seem old and used up.  Relationships, passions, 80’s disco music.  Sometimes we think about what we hoped for, and frantically start watching late-night informercials for the product that will bring life to what we consider dead and gone.  But the answer isn’t 5 quick steps, but one rather long one.

Wait.

If you live long enough, hold on long enough, stand stubbornly enough without being tossed around by the changing whims all around you, eventually everything comes back.

Someday, your dream will burst out of the cocoon ready to fly.  Your phone will ring and the voice on the other end will be your child telling you he’s coming back to the Lord.  The lights will come on and people will start dancing to the 80’s music that you once danced to. It’s all about time, and usually, the last one standing has a pretty good chance of winning.

So, as Paul said in Ephesians 6, after you have done everything, just stand. Wait. Don’t move a muscle.  You might feel a little out of place as others around you are moving on, but don’t worry.  Eventually, with enough time, everything makes a comeback.

Well, hopefully not mullets.