Too Comfortable



Finley Peter Dunne was a writer born in the mid to late 1800's. More specifically, he was a journalist, humorist, and editor with numerous Chicago newspapers. If you are a baseball fan in the least, you are no doubt familiar with the term "south paw," which refers to a left-handed pitcher. You likely did not know that Dunne is the man credited with coining the term.

Born to Irish immigrants, the characters in Dunne's writing spoke with a thick verbiage and Irish accent. There is a great line from that style of Dunne's writing, which was reworded a bit, and used in the 1960 film, "Inherit the Wind." The line from the film is, "Mr. Brady, it is the duty of the newspaper to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable."

It wasn't until the mid 1980's that the above phrase began to show up in sermons to describe God's mercy and judgement. Uttered different ways, some versions state the "gospel" "comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable," while others use "God" or "Jesus." One thing is for certain, the phrase originated with Dunne, not scripture. However, we can find a near use in Psalm 18:27: "You rescue the humble, but you humiliate the proud" (NIV).

As a Christian, I cling tightly to the idea that God comforts those that are afflicted and hurting. In the darkest seasons of my life, it was God's comfort and love that burst through to my heart, to change my attitude and my outlook. However, it's the second part of that line, that I've thought a great deal about over the past few days. "Afflict the comfortable."

It's with a great deal of remorse and humility that I confess just how "comfortable" life had become in recent years. See when our families are healthy, our work is going well, and the economy is strong, it's easy to take credit, and to forget. Forget the true source of our blessings, forget the command to love and serve others, forget Who we are called to worship. We forget.

So, here we are. No longer comfortable, and we are afflicted. Whether or not you have been diagnosed with Covid-19, you have been affected and afflicted by recent events. No sporting events, no school classes, no in restaurant dinning, no traveling, no guarantee to find what you need at the grocery store, no regular work schedules, no gathering in large groups, no corporate worship.

As tragic as this virus is, the greatest travesty will be coming out the other end unchanged as a people. As my grandmother, "Momma Moe" loved to say, "this too shall pass." Things will most certainly return to "normal." The market and the economy will recover. Grocery stores will be restocked. Sporting events will flood our television channels and consume our weekends once again. We will grumble alongside our kids about returning to work and school. We will be free to travel. Free to visit friends, and even meet them on the patio of our favorite restaurants. However, that is then, and this is now. The question we must ourselves in this moment of affliction..."What will my new normal look like, and how will God be a part of it?"

Our Father loves you so very much and so do I.

Much Love, Adam



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