Comfy?

READ: 2 Peter 1:3-11

Along unfamiliar paths I will guide them . . . and make the rough places smooth.

Letterman vs. Koppel. The battle of the late-night titans was shaping up to be an all-out war—until David Letterman surrendered.

He could’ve jumped the CBS ship and replaced Ted Koppel’s Nightline on ABC. But after thinking it over, Letterman decided to stay put. “I think at a certain point . . . the comfort of surroundings and environment are far more important than undertaking a new challenge.”

Are you eager to take on new challenges, or are you comfortable with your life the way it is? How do you feel about tackling a new semester of classes, or a job interview? How do you face smaller challenges like keeping your apartment clean, calling Mom every week like you promised, or going through with that blind date?

The way you deal (or don’t deal) with these kinds of challenges can give you a peek at how you handle other new things—the “unfamiliar paths” where God wants to lead you—the path toward becoming more and more like His Son, Jesus. That’s the path that can be the roughest. It brings change to the kind of person you are deep inside.

God promised to “make the rough places smooth” (Isaiah 42:16). But how do you start moving along the path? Peter gave us a list of things to work on (2 Peter 1:5-7). Faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness, and love—eight little words that declare our big need for improvement. These qualities don’t come natural to human beings. (Just look at your roommate—or in the mirror.)

Are you comfortable with the amount of kindness you show? Do you think you already know God well enough? Maybe you haven’t yet taken the first step of faith—trusting in Jesus alone to save and protect your soul.

God’s “divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness” (v.3). So take a step. Enjoy the walk with God along unfamiliar paths. He told His people through Isaiah, “I will take hold of your hand” (Isaiah 42:6). Let Him take your hand and walk with you into the unknown. —Tracy Carbaugh

REFLECTION

• Am I satisfied with who I am today? Do I believe it’s possible to change? Why is it easier just to stay the same?
• What keeps me from moving forward? What can I do today to take the first step?

The unknown is known by God.

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