Note: Yes, this is part of my “Make a Difference” series. I’m experimenting with taking the series name out of the title of my blog posts.
I recently started working for a seminary that offers chapel services twice a week. On February 13, just before the beginning of Lent, an M.Div. student preached from 2 Corinthians 6:3-10. The text refers to the experiences of many early Christ-followers, including beatings, imprisonments, and poverty. As the preacher linked the passage to the experiences of African Americans and to the season of Lent, I felt as if God were giving me a nudge. This is what Lent is about. It’s about being willing to face discomfort in the pursuit of a world filled with love, justice, kindness, goodness, and peace.
The first Christians understood what it meant to suffer. And despite advances in areas such as medicine, agriculture, and human rights since then, even the most privileged among us can still genuinely experience suffering. Mental illness, broken relationships, addictions, abuse… these things are present in the homes of the wealthy as well as the poor. But many of us don’t know the kind of suffering Paul was writing about — riots, prison, hunger (not merely a delayed meal but genuine hunger from lack of food) — these things are outside of my experience and, for most of my readers, yours as well. If we choose to give up something for Lent, we may suffer minor discomfort from self-denial, but we don’t really understand the struggles of those early Christians — or of people today who experience injustice.
It’s a wonderful thing to be able to practice one’s faith without facing the persecution that Paul describes. But there is value to discomfort that we may be missing if we lead comfortable lives.
Why is it good to be uncomfortable?
- Discomfort goes hand-in-hand with growth. We know this. We just don’t like it. Ever watch a baby try something over and over again, until she gets it right? I still remember when my child would try to suck her thumb before she’d developed hand-eye coordination. She’d usually hit her face somewhere above her mouth and slide her thumb down to it. Then invariably her thumb would fall out of her mouth, and she’d have to start over again. She’s sometimes cry with frustration, but she kept trying. We can’t grow if we’re not willing to endure failure… and it is only through growth that we can give our best to the world.
- Discomfort breeds resilience. This is directly related to a willingness to be bad at something before you can master it. When I first started working in higher education, I learned that the students who have to work really hard for their grades, even if they are “B” students, often succeed better than the naturally bright “A” students. These “B” students have a greater tolerance for failure and are willing to keep trying. The naturally bright students are often so used to having everything come easily that, when they actually have to work hard in a class in order to understand something, they will give up. We need to learn how to bounce back after encountering something difficult, but we can only do that if we learn to work through our discomfort.
- Tolerance for discomfort helps us do the right thing. People often talk about a willingness to endure discomfort in order to reach a personal goal, such as a financial or fitness goal. But in addition to delaying gratification and being willing to suffer a little in order to retire early or run a marathon, we can practice these things in order to become better people. Whether you want to give more to charity or contribute less to global warming, you may have to deny yourself some comforts in order to successfully make a difference.
- Through discomfort, we can relate to the oppressed. Yes, our willingness to temporarily enter into suffering is different from the daily suffering experienced by people without our privileges. But whether you choose to fast for a period of time in solidarity with the hungry or to join with the oppressed in protesting injustice, you can better understand the suffering that others go through if you are willing to take on discomfort that you otherwise would not have to experience.
Of course, suffering merely for the sake of suffering is meaningless. When we suffer, it should be in the pursuit of something better — a better life for others and for ourselves. The point of suffering is not to remain there, but to move through it toward our goal. We may be called to suffer in life, but that isn’t all we are called to. We’re called to relieve suffering, because suffering can become demoralizing and debilitating if the sufferer is unable to attain something better through their efforts.
But it’s so hard!
For the most part, we don’t naturally run toward discomfort. And, let’s face it, sometimes our everyday lives feel difficult enough that the last thing we want is more discomfort. At the end of a hard day, what we really want is to relax with Netflix or a good book. I am, by nature, a Tookish hobbit. There’s a part of me that wants nothing more than to hang out in my snug hobbit hole with some sort delicious, mushroom-y meal. But there is another part of me that craves adventure, and with adventure comes discomfort. It’s not the part of adventure that most of us yearn for. We want to see the world without being rained on or running low on food, thank you very much. But you can’t have a real adventure without opening yourself up to being uncomfortable.
Even if you have no Tookish blood running through your veins, you can still stretch yourself in small ways. That’s because choosing to suffer for the sake of growth and a better world looks different for each of us. You may stop eating meat, because you are concerned about the treatment of farm animals. Your friend may decide to frequently visit their uncle with Alzheimer’s, even though he often forgets who they are. Your parents might invest lots of time, money, and energy into opening a business that employs former inmates. As for me? For the sake of our planet, I should probably learn to better tolerate the cold rather than cranking up the heat.
Each person needs to choose for themselves what they are willing to suffer. But one thing is certain: Though discomfort isn’t fun, it’s a necessary part of making a difference in the world.