Jesus' whole life, his whole ministry, was about being uncomfortable. He was born in a stable--not the most comfortable place to be born, especially for his parents. His ministry was centered around doing the uncomfortable--talking in front of large crowds, enduring ridicule of others, answering the non-stop questions of the church leaders. His passion and death was uncomfortable--enduring ridicule, torture, and being murdered. It seems as though there was nothing comfortable at all about his life and ministry.
Jesus asked his disciples to do the uncomfortable as well. He called fisherman, tax-collectors, and other just plain ordinary people to spread his word. He sent them out to preach the Gospel with nothing but the clothes on their backs. You could say that Jesus made their lives very uncomfortable, stretching them, their abilities, and their faith.
Jesus' passion came. His death came. What do his disciples do? They instinctively do what is most comfortable. Peter denies knowing Christ three times because it would be uncomfortable to acknowledge knowing him. His disciples hide and are not even present at Jesus' crucifixion because being there would be uncomfortable. After finding the empty tomb, Peter goes back to doing what is most comfortable, most familiar, to him. He goes fishing (John 21:3).
While doing what is most familiar to them, Jesus calls out to Peter and the other disciples. Just as they got into their comfort zone, he calls them to become uncomfortable once again. Jesus asks Peter if he loves him. This question is a very uncomfortable question for Peter, especially since the memory of having denied Jesus three times is still fresh in his mind. Then Jesus asks it two more times. And what does Jesus ask Peter to do? He asks Peter to feed and tend his sheep. This is something that a fisherman is not comfortable with. Peter is much more comfortable in the open waters casting nets than he is in a field trying to round up sheep. Jesus could have made things more comfortable for Peter by saying something like "Cast my net" instead of "Tend my sheep." But he didn't. Jesus understood that it is through doing the uncomfortable that we are able to stretch ourselves and grow.
And then comes the kicker. Jesus then says to Peter and the other disciples present: "Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." (John21:18-19) Jesus is asking his disciples to let go. He is asking them to let go of everything--to completely surrender their wills to the will of the Father. He is asking them to stretch out their hands to God the Father and go not where they want to go but instead to go where God wants them to go. This is the ultimate sacrifice. This is the height of uncomfortableness (Is that a word?).
So, are you uncomfortable? I'm not. I'm very comfortable where I am right now. And you know what? My spiritual journey has stalled out. I'm not growing. My relationships are strained. It's funny, but the more comfortable I get, the more I struggle. It's time to get uncomfortable. I don't know how. I don't know what. But I need to find something that is going to stretch me and make me uncomfortable. I need to stretch out my hand and give control over to God.