Restless in a strange pew (standard:Inspirational stories, 905 words)
Author: Godspenman	Added: Oct 02 2010	Views/Reads: 3255/2007	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Everybody has places where they are the most comfortable. When a person (Yours Truly) is out of their comfortable place there is a certain, what should I say, discomfort. There are two places where I am the most comfortable.

Everybody has places where they are the most comfortable. When a person
(Yours Truly) is out of their comfortable place there is a certain, 
what should I say, discomfort. There are two places where I am the most 
comfortable. 

The first place is behind my computer writing. The second place is
behind my pulpit preaching. 

Oh, what a life we lead who know where we belong. Much of the
restlessness of the world is attributed to the fact that people do not 
know where they belong. I often hear people challenging the rest of us 
to get out of our comfort zone. This, I say with a good deal of 
evidence behind me, is why many people are restless and confused. 

My advice is, find your comfort zone and stay there. Not only you, but
also the rest of the world will be a better place for that little piece 
of advice. Every week I read of somebody suffering from what is called 
"burnout." Usually it is somebody who thinks the world cannot get along 
without them. I have long ago come to the astonishing conclusion that 
the world would get along just fine without Yours Truly. 

I am not saying that you should not enlarge your comfort zone at times,
but once you step out of your comfort zone you are in a little bit of 
trouble. One of my favorite verses in the Old Testament is, "By little 
and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be 
increased, and inherit the land." (Exodus 23:30 KJV). 

The trouble with most people is they want to do everything immediately.
This, of course, results in the infamous "burn-out-syndrome." My advice 
simply is, know your comfort zone, take it easy, relax and enjoy the 
journey. 

Then the inevitable became evitable. The Gracious Mistress of the
Parsonage and Yours Truly embarked upon what was mischievously called a 
two-week vacation. Whoever came up with the idea vacation needs to be 
throttled within an inch of his dear life. Of course, in all likelihood 
it was not a "he" that come up with such an idea. 

For us it started like this. My wife said, "Wouldn't it be nice..." 

The male response to this kind of inquiry is a mindless, "Uhm..." 

The husband's chief duty is to make sure his life's companion is happy.
Although, there are times when the word "happy" carries different 
connotations. Unfortunately, no husband alive is able to keep up with 
this fluctuating definition. As soon as he has it all figured out it 
has drastically changed and he is back to square one. 

Early in the Spring my wife started with the, "Wouldn't it be nice..."
And from that simple statement, our two-week vacation was under 
constructed. At the time, I simply went about my business thoroughly 
enjoying my comfort zone. Like the gentleman I am, I allowed her the 
high honor of planning this two-week vacation. My role was simple 
enough, to approve her plans. 

Finally, the day came for us to embark upon our two-week vacation. 

Let me say right here that I did not realize those two weeks
encompassed, at the minimum, 14 days and 14 nights. All of this time 
would be spent living out of suitcases. I dutifully loaded the car with 
17 suitcases and then I went and got my little overnight bag. Then we 
were off. 

The first six days were not too bad, but then came Sunday. My normal
routine for a Sunday is to preach several times and I have never found 
it to be a burden. What those who hear me have found is beyond my realm 
of computation. Although I was in a comfort zone setting, I soon found 
myself out of my comfort zone. Nothing is more pathetic in all of God's 
creation than a preacher sitting in a pew. 

Several times the young lady sitting next to me (let me emphasize the
word young) jabbed me with her elbow. Then she leaned over and 
whispered, "Would you sit still." 

That was the first Sunday. By the time the second Sunday came along, I


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