The Coziness of Life

Carl snuggled up on his cot and closed his eyes. Looking down at him I knew he was comfortable and didn’t want to be disturbed. As long as I stayed in the room where he could see me, he was content to spend his time dozing off and on.

I can’t fault him for this behavior. Ever since I’ve retired, I have had the opportunity to sleep in after my husband gets up to go to work. Once I hear him rise and head to the bathroom, I usually roll over on my side, pull up the sheets and slip back into my personal world of dreams. Many mornings I will wake, look at the clock and debate with myself if I should get up. If I don’t have anything pressing to do, I usually lose the debate and find myself in a comfy position.

Becoming comfy is a state of mind that most of us desire. There is nothing better than finding ourselves in a comfortable financial condition where we don’t have to worry about where our next house payment will come from. We also dream of vacations on the beach or on a cruise ship where our daily needs are met and we can just lay around feeling the heat of the sun.

But as we seek a comfy existence, what are we missing out on? If we think about Jesus and the life He chose, being comfortable doesn’t come to mind. Many nights he slept on the ground and other nights He chose prayer over sleep. Financially, Jesus only owned the clothes on His back and nothing more. If anyone appeared to have a reason to worry, it would be Him.

So why would the Son of God choose this lifestyle over the comfortable ones that we seem to gravitate to? What do you think Jesus was trying to teach us as He walked on this earth?  Luke 9:57 states, “Now it happened as they journeyed on the road that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”  And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

Why would He shed Himself of every material possession, carry no money, and position Himself towards an uncomfortable lifestyle? What does He know that we all could learn? Could it possibly have to do with the eternal home that we all ultimately desire to reside in? Is there something on the other side of death that He knows and aspires for us?

Jesus shares in John 14:2 about heaven. “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”

Given this verse, I am encouraged that this world and everything it has to offer is pale in comparison to the mansion that Jesus is preparing for me. If I can take my focus off of being comfy and turn it to the Gospel, I believe that I will understand why Jesus lived the way He did.

As for Carl, I don’t expect him to get up off his cot and intentionally become uncomfortable. But hopefully, I will make more of an effort to look beyond the coziness of this life and place my focus on the heavenly mansion that is being built just for me.