Relationships that bring Discomfort

"In the spiritual life, we can’t only have friends, people with common interests who don’t necessarily draw us closer to our authentic selves and God. Such relationships can be a great gift, an oasis of refreshment throughout life’s arduous journey, but we have to be wary of only these types of relationships. The type of relationships—or community—that can feed us and lure us closer to God is the type that isn’t afraid to challenge us, admonish us, lift an unwavering mirror up to our eyes to reveal our faults in fullness for the sake of helping us overcome them through grace. These are relationships that bring discomfort.

True community embodies the type of relationships that ask us to relinquish some of our aloneness and autonomy. Community invites us to delve into the messy life of human relationships that won’t always make us feel good, shattering the ego-crafted mirage that we know all too well when left to our own devices. I struggle mightily with this because I take solace in my excessive aloneness. I can be quite fond of this state of lukewarm limbo, enjoying the benefits of being with others, having certain friendships, but not submitting myself to the type of relationships that will force me to be accountable. I can do as I please. And I can rest securely in the knowledge that no one else is keeping tabs. Yet, in isolation, slowly and inconspicuously, I begin to lose sense of who I am."

 
 The words above are from an article entitled "Why We So Desperately Need Community" (which can be found here).  As you can probably glean from the quote, it highlights the part of our fallen nature that desires to be left alone and live on our own little islands.  It also presents God's response to this selfish desire, a call to community.

 Look - I do not enjoy sticky situations.  I do my best to avoid conflict.  I often finds ways to leave the room when I sense things are getting a little uncomfortable.  It's just easier to have my own opinions, clearly thought out and justified in my own mind, and hold them in silence.  I'm guessing that most of you reading this feel the same way. 

Yet, God is good.  He continues to pursue me.  He weasels his way into my thoughts and relationships and pushes me to lean into the discomfort - even convincing me at times to do crazy things like seek it out or instigate it!  And He puts people in my life that do the same thing to me.

I'm learning to be thankful for the relationships in my life that bring discomfort.  And so today I want to thank

  - the guys who sit at my PX90 table
  - my CRHP brothers
  - the couples in my TOOLS team
  - you who read these posts and question what is written
  - our Priests who ask questions of me in their homilies
  - my wife who often, in good will, questions my decisions
  - My children, who often ask my 'Why?'

These are the people who keep pushing me to be the man God created me to be.  It's through these relationships alone that I have grown and born fruit.

Who can you thank in your life for bringing you discomfort?